CHAP. XLI, 



LEGUMJ NA CEJi. U LEX. 



571 



Sect. II. Lo'teje, 

 Genus IV. 



a 



t/ v LEX L. The Furze. Lin. Sj/st. Monadelphia Decandria, 



Identification. Lin. Gen., No. 881. ; Lam. 111., t. 621. ; Dec. Prod., 2. p. 144. ; Don's Mill., 2. p, 148. 



Si/nonymes. Ajonc, Fr. ; Hecksaame, Ger. 



Derivation. Said to be derived from ac, Celtic, a point ; in reference to the prickly branches. 



Description, $c. Branchy, evergreen, spinous shrubs, with yellow flowers, 

 natives of Europe, which will grow in any tolerably good soil that is dry; and 

 are readily propagated by seeds, or by cuttings, planted in sand. 



& 1. cTlex europje'a L. The European, or common, Furze, or Whin. 



Identification. Lin. Spec, 1045. var. oe, ; Dec. Prod., 2. p. 144.; Don's Mill., 2. p.148. 



Synonymes. Genista spinbsa L'Obel, U. grandiflbrus Four. ; U. vernalis Thore ; Whin, Gorse, 



Prickly Broome; Ajonc common, Jonc marin, Jomarin, or Genet tpineux, Fr. 

 Engravings. Eng. Bot., t. 742. ; and our Jig. 262. to a scale of 2 in. to a foot, and Jig. 263. of the 



natural size. 



Spec. Char., Description, fyc. Leaves lanceolate, linear. Branchlets villous, 

 Bracteas ovate, loose. Calyx pubescent. An erect evergreen shrub, with 

 yellow flowers, which are produced in abundance from February to May, 

 and, in mild winters, from September till May. Indeed, it may be said to 

 be in flower, more or Less, the whole year; and hence the country proverb, 

 that " Love goes out of fashion, when the furze is out of blossom." In a 

 wild state, in cold elevated situations, it is seldom seen higher than 2 ft. or 

 3 ft. ; but in sheltered woods, in England, it may frequently be seen of 10 ft. 

 or 12 ft. in height. In Spain, on the mountains of Galicia, it grows to the 

 height of 18 ft., with stems as thick as a man's leg. 

 Varieties. 



m U. e. 2 flore pleno has double flowers, and is a splendid plant when 

 profusely covered with blossoms. It is well adapted for small 

 gardens ; and is easily increased by cuttings. A plant in our garden 

 at Bayswater, in 5 years, formed a bush 8ft. high, and 6 ft. in dia- 

 meter, flowering profusely from April to June. 

 U. provincidlis and U. stricta are probably only varieties of U. 

 europae'a, but, as they may possibly belong to U. nana, we have kept them 

 distinct, and treated them as botanical species or races. 



A variety with white flowers is mentioned by Gerard and Parkinson, as 

 reported to have been seen in the north parts of England; but no 

 such variety is now known. 



Geography. The common furze is a native of 

 the middle and south of Europe, on gravelly 

 soils, on plains and hil]s, but not generally to a 

 very great elevation. 

 In Caernarvonshire, it 

 jrows to the height of 

 1500 ft. above the sea, 



262 



in open, airy, warm 

 situations ; but in damp 

 shaded valleys, not 

 higher than 600 ft. In 

 the north of England, 

 according to Winch, it 

 forms fine fox covers, 

 at 800 ft. or 900 ft., and 

 grows, in warm sheltered situations, at 2000 ft, 

 to the height of 1150ft. About Tongue, in 



At Inverness, it is found 

 the north-west of Suthcr- 



