Spartium Scoparium- Common Broom. 



SPARTIUM Lin. Gen. PL Diadelphia Decandria. 



Stigma longitudinale, fupra villofuni. Filamenta germirii adhaerentia, 

 Cal. deorfum produ&us. 



Rail Syn. Arbores et Frutices. 



SPARTIUM Scoparium foliis ternatis folitariifque ramis inermibus angulatis. Lin. Syft. Vegetal 

 p. 644. Sp. PL p. gg6. Fl. Suec. n. 633. 



SPARTIUM foliis inferioribus ternatis hirfutis, fuperioribus fimplicibus. Haller hift. n. 354. 



GENISTA angulofa et fcoparia. Bauh. pin. 395. 



GENISTA cum rapo. Dodon. Pempt. p. 761. Ger. emac. 1311. 



GENISTA vulgaris five fcoparia. Park. Theat. p. 228. 



GENISTA angulofa trifolia. /. B. I. 388. Raii Syn. p. 474. Common Broom. Hudfon FL 

 Angl. ed. 2. p. 310. Lightfoot FL Scot. p. 382. 



Frutex tripedalis ad orgyalem et ultra, ramofiflimus, <> A Shrub from, three to fix feet high or more, very 

 ramis erectis, virgatis, viridibus, angulatis, $ much branched, the branches upright, 



flexilibus, junioribus pubefcentibus twiggy, green, angular, flexible, the young 



f ones downy. 



FOLIA faepius ternata, fummis fubinde folitariis, § LEAVES moft commonly growing by threes, upper- 

 foliolis ovatis, acutis, pubefcentibus, ciliatis, | moft ones fometimes fingly, leaflets ovate^ 



ciliis mollibus inflexis. § ' acute, downy, edged with foft hairs bend- 



y ing inwards. 



PETIOLI pubefcentes, complanati. % LEAF-STALKS downy, flattened. 



FLORES lutei, maximi, laxe racemofi. jjj FLOWERS yellow, very large, growing in loofe 



§ race mi. 1 



BRACTEtE quatuor, obovatae, inaequales, cruciatae, .J BRACTE.E, four, inverfely ovate, unequal, crofs- 



obtufse, ad bafin pedunculorum. $ fhaped, obtufe at the bafe of the flower-ftalks. 



PEDUNCULI folitarii, faepius bini, raro terni, teretes, $ FLOWER-STALKS fmgle,oftener two, rarely three, 



glabri, ftipula minima utrinque inftru&i. jjj round, fmooth, furnifhed on each fide with 



<> a very minute ftipula. 



CALYX: Perianthium monophyllum, parvum, f CALYX: a Perianthium of one leaf, fmall, two- 

 bilabiatum, faepe purpureum, obfolete den- <> lipped, often purple, faintly toothed, ex- 



ticulatum, labiorum apicibus marcidis fufcis, J tremities of the lips withered and brown, 



.fig- 1 - f fig- 1 - .,. 



COROLLA papilionacea, pentapetala, Vexillum ob- | COROLLA papilionaceous, pentapetaIous,Sta^?'^ 



cordatum, reflexum, maximum, fig. 2. Ales $ inverfely heart-fhaped, reflexed, very large, 



longitudine carinae, fubovales, breviter pe- $ fig. 2. Wings the length of the keel, fome- 



tiolatae, fig. 3. Carina ampla et profunda, | what oval, on fhort footftalks, fig. 3. Keel 



obtufe roftrata, fig. 4. dipetala, aut in duas $ large and deep, beak blunt, fig. 4. compofed 



partes facile feparabilis, margine carinali $ of two petals, or at leaft eafily feparated into 



villis connexo. <> two parts, the edges being connected toge- 



f ther at the keel with foft hairs. 



STAMINA: Filamenta decern, inferne in unum <> STAMINA: ten Filaments, below united into one 

 corpus coalita (hinc decandria non diadel- f body (hence of the clafs decandria rather 



phia) aflurgentes, inferioribus longioribus ; <> than diadelphia) rifing upwards, the Jower- 



Anther^e oblongae, crocae, fig. 5. $ moft ones longeft ; Anthers oblong, 



§ faffron-coloured, fig. 5. 



PISTILLUM: Germen oblongum, hirfutum; Sty- I PISTILLUM : Germen oblong, hirfute ; Style 

 lus fubulatus, affurgens, demum fpiraliter ^ tapering, rifing upward, finally bent fpirally, 



involutus ad apicem inferne canaliculatus, <> fo as to form fomewhat. more than a circle, 



Stigma terminale, minimum, capitatum, \ near the tip hollowed below ; Stigma ter- 



fig. 6. auct. fig. 7. <> minal, very fmall, and forming a little head, 



I fig. 6. magnified, fig. 7. 



PERICARPIUM: Legumen latum, compreffum, ni- <> SEED-VESSEL a broad, flat, blackilh Pod, edged 

 gricans,marginibuspilis mollibus ciliatis,j^o-.8. | with foft hairs, fig. 8. 



SEMINA plurima ad 20, minuta, fubovata, lutefcen- § SEEDS numerous to 20, fmall, fomewhat ovate, 

 tia, nitida, fig. 9. dingy yellow, glofly, fig. q. 



The common Englifti Broom is one of the moft ornamental (hrubs we have, efpecially that variety of it, in 

 which the calyx is purple, and the bloftbms ftrongly tinged with orange ; but even in its common date, fuch 

 is the profufion of bloffoms with which its branches are loaded in the fummer, fuch the charming verdure of 

 its twigs in the winter feafon, that it may be faid to vie with any of the foreign ones, and to be equally 

 deferving a place in all ornamental grounds. 



It grows naturally in dry, fandy, barren foils, bears tranfplanting badly, but is moft readily raifed from feed. 



It is not only in an ornamental point of view, that this plant deferves our notice, it claims our attention 

 alfo as an ufeful plant in rural ceconomy and medicine. 



Though not fo commonly ufed for befoms as the common Heath and Birch, it is preferred for many 

 purpofes ; in the Northern parts of Great-Britain it is made ufe of for thatching cottages, corn and hay-ricks, 

 alfo as a fubftitute for reeds in making fences or fcreens ; and we have been credibly informed, that in fome 

 parts of Scotland, where coals are fcarce, whole fields are fown with its feeds to form fuel. 



Authors mention the flower-buds, juft before they become yellow, as proper for pickling, in the manner 

 of capers*; the branches, as capable of tanning leather +, and of being manufactured into coarfe cloth -J ; 

 the old wood, as furnilhing the cabinet-maker with the moft beautiful materials for vaneering; and the tender 

 branches, to be frequently mixed with hops for brewing §. 



* Dodon, &c. t Haller. X Ibid. § Lightfoot, Fl. Scot, 



The 



