﻿( 93 .) 



U'L EX* *. 



Linnean Class and Order. Diade'lphia f, Deca'ndria. 



Natural Order. Legumino's^e, Juss. Gen. PI. p. 345. — Sm. 

 Gram, of Bot. p. 174. — Lindl. Syn. p. 75. ; Introd. to Nat. Syst. p. 

 87. — Rich, by Macgilliv. p. 532. — Sm. Eng. FI. v. iii. p. 259. — 

 Loud. Hort. Brit. p. 509 . — Papiliona'ce.®, Linn. 



Gen. Char. Calyx (fig. 1.) inferior, of 2 egg-shaped, concave, 

 equal, coloured, permanent sepals, rather shorter than the keel of 

 the corolla ; the upper with 2 small teeth ; the lower with 3. Co- 

 rolla of 5 petals ; standard (fig. 2.) egg-shaped, cloven, ascending ; 

 wings (fig. 3.) oblong, obtuse, shorter than the standard; keel (fig. 4.) 

 of 2, straight, obtuse petals, cohering by their lower edges. Fila- 

 ments (fig. 5.) 10, all united at the base, one of them separated for 

 more than half its length. Anthers roundish, 2-lobed. Germen 

 (fig. 6.) oblong, nearly cylindrical, hairy. Style (fig. 6.) awl-shaped, 

 curved upwards. Stigma small, obtuse. Legume (figs. 7 & 8.) 

 oblong, turgid, straight, scarcely longer than the calyx, of 1 cell, 

 and 2 hard, concave, elastic valves. Seeds (figs. 9 & 10.) from 

 6 to 8, polished, somewhat angular, slightly compressed, with a 

 tumid, cloven crest. 



The monadelpbous stamens, and disepalous (2-leaved) calyx, 

 nearly as long as the legume, will distinguish this from other genera 

 in the same class and order. 



Two species British. 



U'LEK EUROPiE'US. Common Furze. Whin. Gorse. 



Spec. Char. Teeth of the Calyx very minute, close together. 

 Bracteas egg-shaped, loose. Branches upright. 



Eng. Bot. t. 742. — Linn. Sp. PI. p. 1045. — Huds. FI. Angl. (2nd ed.) p. 312. — 

 Sm. FI. Brit. v. ii. p. 756. Eng. FI. v. iii. p. 265. — With. (7th ed.) v. iii. p. 380. — 

 Gray’s Nat. Arr. v. ii. p.594. — Lindl. Syn. p. 77. — Hook. Brit. FI. p. 318. — 

 Lightf. FI. Scot. v. i. p. 385. — Sibth. FI. Oxon. p. 220. — Abbot’s FI. Bedf. p. 

 154. — Purt. Midi. FI. v. i p. 330. — Relh. FI. Cant. (3rd ed. ) p.289. — Curt. Brit. 

 Entom. v. i. t. 21 ! — Hook. FI. Scot. p. 212. — Grev. FI. Edin. p. 155. — FI. Devon. 

 PP-119 &174. — Johnst. FI. Bervv. v.i. p.158. — Don’s Gen. Syst. of Gard. and 

 Bot. v.ii. p. 148. — Walk. FI. of Oxf. p. 205. — Baxter’s Lib. of Agricul. and 

 Horticul. Knowledge, (2nd ed.) p.269 — Bab. FI. Bath. p. 11. — Mack. Catal. 

 of PI. of Irel. p. 65— Genista spinosa vulgaris, Ray’s Syn. p. 475.— Johnson’s 

 Gerarde, p. 1319. 



Localities. — Abundant on heaths, on commons, and by road-sides, in most 

 parts of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Said to be extremely luxuriant 

 in Cornwall, growing to the height of 6 or 8 feet. 



A Shrub. — Flowers in April or May, and occasionally at all seasons. 



Stems from 2 to 5 feet or more high, very much branched ; 

 branches very close, upright, green, roughish, hairy when young, 

 furrowed, spinous at the end, and beset with large, compound. 



Fig. 1 . Calj x. — Fig. 2. Standard. — Fig. 3. One of the Wings. — Fig. 4. Keel. — 

 Fig. 5. Stamens. — Fig. 6. Germen, Style, and Stigma. — Fig. 7. Legume. — Fig. 8. 

 The same opened, to show the two valves and the seeds. — Fig. 9. A Seed. — 

 Fig. 10. The same a little magnified. 



* Said to be ac, a point, in Celtic, in reference to the prickly branches. Mr. 

 G. Don. 



t See Spartium Scoparium, folio 77. 



