P EA FAMILY 



escaped from the gardens and is found on dry hills from Maine 

 to New York, where it becomes a troublesome weed. 



Leaves. — Alternate, one-foliate, sessile, elliptical or lanceolate, 

 one-halt to one and one-half inches long, narrowed at base, en- 

 tire, acute at apex, bright shining green ; mid vein depressed 

 above, primary veins obscure. 



Flowers. — Summer. Papilionaceous, one-half to five-eighths 

 of an inch long, borne in many short, few-flowered, terminal 

 racemes. Calyx, two-lipped. Corolla clear bright yellow, with- 

 out markings. 



Fruit. — Pod, an inch long, flat, glabrous. 



In Garden and Forest of August, 1888, is given the 

 following account of Genista tiuetoria. " In some parts 

 of Essex County, Massachusetts, it has become thor- 

 oughly naturalized, and has taken possession of thou- 

 sands of acres of rocky upland, from which it is prac- 

 tically impossible to exterminate it, and which is thus 

 ruined for pasturage or for tillage. These hills where 

 the Woad Waxen is in flower, seem to be covered with 

 a golden carpet and present an appearance quite un- 

 like anything which can be seen in any other part 

 of the United States. There is a tradition that the 

 Woad Waxen was introduced into the United States 

 by Governor John Endicott of Salem, one of the pio- 

 neers of American horticulture." 



The leaf of this plant is a sort of botanical puzzle ; 

 it is called a compound leaf of a single leaflet, which 

 seems a contradiction in terms. But if you look at 

 the petiole under a glass, it is very clear that there is 

 a joint, and this indicates that the leaf is indeed com 

 pound, but that all the leaflets have aborted save one. 



In England the Woad Waxen used to be collected 

 by the poor country people and sold to the dyers. 



