Ononis.'] xxvi. legdminos^e : geniste^e. 
ST 
glabrous, stipules obsolete, flowers axillary somewhat racemed, 
corolla and legumes glabrous. E. B. t. 132 
Moist heaths and moory ground, frequent, h • 5,6. — Stems as- 
cending, very spinous. Leaves very small. Flowers yellow, solitary 
in the axils of the leaf-like bracteas. 
3. Sarothamnds Wimm. Broom. 
Cal. 2-lipped, without bracteas at its base ; upper lip with 2 
small teeth, lower one 3-toothed. Standard large, broadly 
ovate. Keel very blunt, including the stamens, at length 
defiexed. Tube of the stamens split on the upper side. Style 
very long, thickened upwards and spirally curved. Legume 
many-seeded, much longer than the calyx. — Leaves simple or 
trifoliolate. — Named from oapow, to sweep, Bay roc, a shrub. 
1. S. scopurius Wimm. ( common B) ; branches angled gla- 
brous, leaves ternate stalked, upper ones simple, leaflets oblong, 
flowers axillary shortly pedicellate, legumes hairy at the margin. 
Spartium L.: E. B. t. 1339. Cytisus Link. 
Dry hills and bushy places, frequent. h- 5 — 6. — Stem 3—6 ft. 
or more high. Branches long, straight, green. Flowers large, bright 
yellow. — The young green tops are said to be powerfully purgative 
and diuretic, and they are very bitter. What is called Irish Broom 
is S. patens, a native of Spain and Portugal. 
4. Ononis Linn. Best-harrow. 
Cal. campanulate, 5-cleft, its segments linear. Standard 
large, striate. Keel rostrate. Legume turgid, sessile, few- 
seeded. — Leaves simple or trifoliolate. — Named from ovoq, an 
ass ; because the plant is eaten by that animal. 
1. 0. arvensis L. {common R ) ; suffruticose, branches hairy 
often spinous, lower leaves ternate, the rest simple oblong or 
oval serrate except at the base, flowers solitary shortly stalked, 
calyx much shorter than the corolla, legume erect obliquely 
rhomboid 2 — 3-seeded, seeds tuberculate. — a. procumbent, 
branches uniformly hairy, calyx longer than the legume and 
usually shorter than the floral leaves. E. B. S. t. 2659. — ft. 
erector ascending, more glabrous, branches with the hairs usually 
arranged in two rows, calyx rather shorter than the legume 
and usually longer than the floral leaves. E. B. t. 682. 0. 
campestris Koch. 0. antiquorum L.f 
Barren pastures and borders of fields. If. . 6 — 9. — A very variable 
plant, erect or procumbent and rooting, more or less spinous; leaves 
ovate or cuneate : stipules adhering to the petioles ; flowers rose- 
coloured, sometimes white. The var. (3. is usually more spinous, 
and with smaller flowers and upper leaves ; but it has so much the 
habit of a,, and so many of its characters, that we do not perceive 
F 
