U L E 



U L E 



Eir. Qi. Male, Calyx of one leaf, imbricated with fcales. 

 Corolla none. Stamens numerous. 



Female, Calyx as in the male, permanent. Cor. none. 

 Germens numerous. Styles two or three. Drupas nu- 

 merous. 



I. C. elajlka. Cervantes as above, t. 9 — Native of the 

 hot north-eaft coafts of Mexico, where it is one of the lofti- 

 eft and mod luxuriant of trees, much refembling Aiuiona 

 muricata. Stem three or four yards in circumference, very 

 ftraight. Bmi Imooth, foft, three or four lines thick, afh- 

 coloured, bitter and iiaufeous in tafte, as is the milky juice 

 ifTuing from every part when wounded. Branches- alternate, 

 horizontal, round, flexible ; the younger ones clothed with 

 ftifF liairs. Leaves alternate, on fhort thick Italks, elhptic- 

 obloncr, acute, eighteen inches long and feven broad, veiny, 

 downy on both fides, entire, though apparently toothed 

 from the equidiftant tufts of h;ur, ranged along the margin ; 

 heart-fhaped at the bafe ; reticulated with veins. Slipulat 

 in pairs at the bafe of each foocftalk, oblong, pointed, mem- 

 branous, deciduous. Floivers axillary, folitary, nearly 

 feflile, the male and female alternate in the lower part of each 

 branch, but towards the end are male flowers only. Calyx 

 ftraw-coloured. Stamens white, with deep-yellow anthers. 

 Drupiis larger than a pea, crowded together in the bottom 

 of the extended calyx, orange-coloured, mucilaginous, almoft 

 taftelefs. 



The milky juice of this tree forms that kind of Elaftic 

 Gum, which the Mexicans call Ule. The Cecropia peltata, 

 ■with fome fpecies of Jatiopha and Fictis, yield a fimilar 

 produce, valuable for divers economical purpofes. See 

 Caoutchouc. 



ULEX, the Furze-bufli, a name in Pliny, which pro- 

 fefior Martyn is difpofed to derive from cuAo,-, cr'ifped or 

 curled ; but De Theis traces the word to the Celtic ec or ac, 

 a point, certainly applicable enough to its habit and appear- 

 ance ; this etymology being moreover fupported by the French 

 name of the (lirub, ajonc, anciently acjonc, or prickly rufli. — 

 Linn. Gen. 379. Schreb. 488. Willd. Sp. PI. v. 3. 969. 

 Mart. Mill. Did. v. 4. Sm. Fl. Brit. 756. Ait. Hort. 

 Kew. V. 4. 265. Brot. Lufit. v. 1. 78. Juff. 352. La- 

 marck Illullr. t. 621. Gsertn. t. 151. — Clafs and order, 

 Diadelphia Decandria. Nat. Ord. Papllionaceit, Linn. 

 Lsgumtnofx, JuflT. 



Gen.Ch. Cal. Perianth inferior, of two ovate-oblong, 

 concave, ftraight, equal, permanent leaves, rather fliorter 

 than the keel ; the upper one with two teeth ; lower with 

 three. Cor. papilionaceous, of five petals. Standard very 

 large, inverfely heart-fhaped, emarginate, ftraight. Wings 

 oblong, obtufe, (horter than the ftandard. Keel ftraight, 

 obtufe, of two petals converging at their inner margin. 

 Stam. Filaments in two fets combined at the bafe, one 

 limple, the other in nine divifions ; anthers fimple. Pift. 

 Germen oblong, cylindrical, hairy ; ftyle thread-fliaped, 

 afcending ; ftigma fmall, obtufe. Pcrlc. Legume oblong, 

 turgid, nearly covered by the calyx, ftraight, of one cell 

 and two elallic valves. Seeds few, roundilh, emarginate, 

 with a fleftiy appendage. 



Eff. Ch. Calyx of two leaves. Legume fcarcely longer 

 than the calyx. Stamens all conncfted. 



The few fpecies of this genus are almoft confined to 

 the v/efterii more tL'mpcrate parts of Europe, ;md are remark- 

 able for their rigid thorny buftiy habit. The leaves are 

 fimpk", fmall and inconfpicuous. Flaiuers numerous, deep 

 yellow. 



I. U. eiiropxus. Common Furze, Whin, or Gorfc. 

 Linn. Sp. PI. 1045. W^illd. n. i. Fl. Brit. n. i. Engl. 

 Bol. t, 742. Fl. Dan. t. 608. Brot. n. 1. (U. graiidi- 

 iz. 



florus ; Pourret Ail. Tolof. v. 3. 333. Genifta fpinofa 

 vulgaris; Ger. Em. 1319- Scorpius primus; Cluf. Hift. 

 V. I. 106.) — Calyx-teeth obfolete, converging. Bra6leas 



ovate, lax. Branches ereft Native of gravelly or fandy 



heaths, in Denmark, Germany, Brabant, France, and Por- 

 tugal, very frequent in England, flowering in May. — On 

 Putney heath it is remarkably luxuriant, and very fplendid 

 when in bloffom. Linna:us is recorded to have been pe- 

 culiarly flruck with the appearance of this ftirub, when he 

 vifitcd England, and he complains in Hort. Upfal. 212, that 

 he could never prcferve it in his garden through the winter. 

 With us it varies from two to fix feet in height. The 

 branches are exccffively numerous, crowded, furrowed, hairy, 

 tipped with ftrong, fharp, compound, permanent thorns, 

 which bear at their bafe the leaves and fometimes flowers. 

 Leaves folitary, awl-ftiaped, fpinous-pointed, fmall, roughifti 

 or hairy, deciduous, chiefly on the youngeft. moft vigorous 

 branches. Floiver-Jlalks axillary, folitary or in pairs, fimple. 

 BraHeas near the calyx, but not clofe-prefted, fometimes 

 fpreading, ovate, concave, fdky. Calyx downy. Corolla 

 near twice the length of the calyx, honey-fcented, of 3 

 golden yellow. Legume downy, fplitting with a crackling 

 noife, in hot ftill weather. 



2. U. nanus. Dwarf Furze. Forft. in Svm. Syn. 1 60. 

 Fl. Brit. n. 2. Engl. Bot. t. 743. WiUd. n. 2. Ait. 

 n. 2. (U. europaeus /S ; Linn. Sp. PI. 1.04J.- U. genif- 

 toides ; Brot. n. 2. Genifta aculeata minor, five Nepa 

 Theophrafti ; Ger. Em. 1321.) — Calyx-teeth lanceolate, 

 fpreading. Brafteas minute, clofe-prefled. Branches 

 reclining. — Found on rather mountainous or 'elevated heathy 

 ground, in France, England, and Portugal, flowering in 

 autumn ; though it muil be obferved that both fpecies are 

 to be met with more or lefs in bloffom, in all open weather. 

 This is much imaller than the foregoing ; Jloiuers not only 

 fmaller but paler ; branches more elongated and cylindrical ;. 

 Iradeas minute, brown ; calyx yellower, with deeper more 

 evident teeth. 



U. capenfis, Linn. Sp. PI. 1 046, being no other than 

 Polygala fpinofa, Linn. Sp. PI. 989, is properly left out by 

 Willdenow, tliough he ought to have referred, to it under 

 the faid Polygala. 



Ule.x, in (Jardm\ng,l\xrKiSati ftirubby plants of the thorny 

 kind, among which the fpecies cultivated are, the common 

 furze, whin, or gorfe ( U. europasus) ; the dwarf furze (U» 

 nanus ) ; and the Cape or African berry -bearing furze { U. 

 capenfis). 



The firft is a well-known plant, frequently met with on 

 waites, commons, and heaths, fpreading over large trafts of 

 land. 



There are feveral varieties, as the common yellow furze ; 

 the white-flowered furze ; the long-fpined furze ; the ftiort- 

 fpined furze ; the large French furze ; the fmall or dwarf 

 furze ; and the round-podded furze. 



This fort and varieties of furze are remarkable for having 

 all their young (hoots, branches and ipinesof a lafting green 

 colour, which, though they are deciduous in the leaf, which 

 comes out in the fpring, and foon falls off and difappears, 

 yet from thefe numerous branches, flioots and fpines remain- 

 ing conftantly green, they always appear in the manner 

 of evergreens, and are moftly ranked under that head or clafs. 

 See Evergreen. 



The fecond iort is much lower than the common fort, 

 having decumbent branches. It is found witli the other 

 kind chiefly on dry elevated heaths, but by no means fo 

 generally ; flowering from Auguft to Ottober. It was 

 formerly confidercd by fome as a variety of the above. 



The third,, or Cape fort, has a woody hard ftem, which is 



covered- 



