GEN; . 
fituated very near them, and gently ftrike the farina o 
the male, into the bofom of the female flowers, and 
thereby fet the young fruit, which would otherwife 
drop off. 
There are fome perfons, who ftill objeCt to this theory 
of the generation of plants, from having obferved 
fome plants, which were termed female, growing 
iingly, and at a very great diftance from any male 
plants of the fame kind, which had for fome years 
produced feeds which were perfect, and grew when 
fown ; and indeed I was myfelf a little ftaggered in 
my opinion, on having obferved a female plant of the 
white Briony, which grew fingly in a garden, where 
there were no other plants of the fame kind •, which 
for feveral years produced berries, which grew and 
flourifhed perfectly well. This put me upon examining . 
the plant more carefully than I had before done, when 
I found there were great numbers of male flowers in- 
termixed with the female, on the fame plant ; and 
fince then I have frequently found the fame in many 
other plants, which are fometimes male and female 
in different plants, yet have fometimes both fexes on 
the fame plant; fo that the objections which have been 
made to this doCtrine, may not have proper evidence 
for their fupport. 
It is certain, that the female plants may produce fruit, 
without the impregnation of the male ; but it is not 
certain, that this fruit or feed will, if fown, produce 
another plant. What has been fo often related by 
travellers and hiftorians, of the neeeffity of the male 
Palm-tree being near the female, in order to render it 
fruitful, hath been fully confirmed by Father Labat, 
in his account of Africa, where he has treated of the 
feveral forts of Palms : he fays, that he obferved in 
Martinico a large Palm-tree, which grew by the fide 
of a convent, which produced plenty of fruit, though 
there was no other Palm-tree growing within two 
leagues of this ; but he alfo obferved, that none of 
thefe fruit would grow, though they had made many 
trials of them ; fo that they were obliged to procure 
fome fruit from Barbary, in order to propagate thefe 
trees. He likewife adds, that the fruit which grew 
on this female tree, never ripened fo perfedly, nor 
was fo well tailed, as thofe which came from trees 
which had flood near fome of the male : therefore we 
may conclude, that the fruit or feed may be produced 
by the female plants of moll kinds, without the af- 
fillance of the male fperm, which may appear to fight 
perfeCt, and fit to produce others ; but if we examine 
the feeds, we fhall find that mofl of them have not 
the germ or little plant inclofed, nor will grow if they 
are fown. 
From thefe and many other experiments, it is very 
plain, that there is a neeeffity that the embryo of the 
female flower ffiould be impregnated by the farina or 
male dull, in order to render the fruit perfeCt ; but 
how, or in what manner it is performed, is what we 
can only guefs at, fince in the generation of animals, 
our greatefl naturalifls differ very much in their opi- 
nions ; nor can any of them afeertain any particular 
method how it is performed. I fhall therefore con- 
clude with quoting the words of the Rev. Dr. Hales, 
which are a mofl ingenious fummary of the whole 
doCtrine of the generation of plants. 
44 IF I (fays he) may be allowed to indulge conjecture 
44 in a cafe in which the mofl diligent enquirers are, 
144 as yet, after all their laudable refearches, advanced 
44 but little farther than mere conjecture, I would 
44 propofe it to their confideration, whether from the 
44 manifefl proof we have, that fulphur ftrongly at- 
44 traCls air, a hint may not be taken, to confider 
44 whether this may not be the primary ufe of the fa- 
44 rina foecundans, to attraft or unite with elaflic or 
44 other refined aCtive particles. That this farina 
44 abounds with fulphur, and that a very refined fort, 
44 is probable from the fubtile oil which chymifls ob- 
44 tain from the chives of Saffron ; and if this be the 
44 ufe of it, was it poffible that it could be more aptly 
44 placed for the purpofe on very moveable apices 
44 fixed on the (lender points of the ftamina, whereby 
44 it might eafiiy, with the lead breath of wind, be 
44 difperied in the air, thereby 'Unrounding the plant, 
44 as it were, with an atmofphere of iu mimed fulphu- 
44 reous pounce ? for many trees and plants abound 
44 with it, which uniting with the air particles, may, 
44 perhaps, be infpired at feveral parts of the plant, 
44 and especially at the piftillum, and be thence con- 
44 veyed to the capfula feminalis, efpecially towards 
44 evening, and in. the night, when the beautiful pe- 
44 tala of the flowers are clofed up, and they, with all 
44 the other parts of the vegetable, are in a ftrongly 
44 imbibing Hate. And if to thefe united, fulphureous 
44 and aereal particles, we fuppofe fome particles of 
44 light to be joined (for Sir Ifaac Newton has found, 
44 that fulphur attracts light ftrongly ;) then the re- 
44 fult of thefe three by far the moil aCtive principles 
44 in nature, will be a punCtum faliens to invigorate 
44 the feminal plant ; and thus we are at laft con- 
44 duCted, by the regular analyfis of vegetable nature, 
44 to the ftrft enlivening principle of their minuteft 
44 origin.” 
GENISTA. Lin. Gen. Plant. 766. Tourn. Inll. R. H« 
643. tab. 412. Broom; in French, Genet. 
The Characters are, 
The empalement of the flower is ofl one leaf , tubulous , and 
divided into two lips ; the upper lip is deeply cut into two, 
and the under into three equal parts. T 'he flower is ofl the 
butterfly kind ; the ftandard is oval , acute, and remote 
from the keel , being wholly reflexed ; the wings are a little 
fhorter than the ftandard , and are loofle : the keel is eredl , 
and longer than the ftandard , and is indented at the top. 
It hath ten ftamina joined in two bodies , which are fituated 
in the keel , terminated by fingle flummits. In the center is 
an oblong germen , fupporting an afeending ftyle , crowned 
by an acute twiftedftigma. The germen afterward becomes 
a roundijh turgid pod with one cell , opening with t-wb 
valves , inclojing kidney-fhaped feeds. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the third feClion of 
Linmeus’s feventeenth clafs, v/hich includes the plants 
with flowers having ten ftamina, joined ‘in two bodies ; 
and to this he adds fome of Tournefort’s fpecies of 
Spartium, and the Geniftella of Tournefort. 
The Species are, 
1. Genista ( Sagittalis ) ramis ancipitibus articulatis; fo- 
lks ovato-lanceolatis. Hort. Cliff’. 355. Jointed Broom i 
with two-edged branches , and jointed, oval, fpear-jhaped 
leaves . Chamae Genifta fagittalis. C. B. P. 395. Dwarf 
arrow-jhaped Broom. 
2. Genista (-Florida) foliis lanceolatis, ramis ftriatis te- 
retibus racCmis fecunbis. Hort. Cliff. 355. Broom with 
fpear-jhaped leaves , and eredi taper branches abounding 
with flowers. Genifta tinCloria Flifpanica. C. B. P. 395, 
Spanijh Dyers Broom. 
3. Genista ( Tindioria ) foliis lanceolatis glabris ramis 
ftriatis teretibus ereCtis. Hort. Cliff. 355. Broom with 
jpear-floaped leaves which are acute, and taper channelled 
branches proceeding from the fide ofl the ftalk. Genifta 
tinCloria Germanica. C. B. P. 395. Common Dyers 
Broom , or Wood-waxen. 
4. Genista (Pufgans) ipinis terminalibus, ramis tereti- 
bus ftriatis, foliis lanceolatis fimplicibns pubefeem 
tibus. Lin.Sp. 999. Broom with taper freaked branches 
terminated by jpines, and fimple, fpear-jhaped, hairy leaves . 
Genifta five fpartium purgans. J. B. 1. p. 404. 
5. Genista ( Candicans ) foliis ternatis fubtus viliofis, pe- 
dunculis lateralibus fubquinqueftbris foliatis, legumi- 
nibus hirfutis. Amcen. Acad. 4. p; 284. Trifoliate Broom 
with hairy leaves , foot-ftalks from the fide cfl the branches 
having five flowers , and hairy pods. Cy til us Monfpef- 
fulanus, mediae folio, liliquis denfe congeftis & vil- 
iofis. Tourn Inft. 648. 
6. Genista ( Tridentata ) ramis triquetris fubarticulatis, 
foliis tricufpidatis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 710. Broom with 
three-cornered jointed branches , and leaves ending in three 
points. Geniftella fruticofa Luiitanica. Tourn. Inft. 
646. Shrubby Portugal Dyers Broom. 
7. Genista (Pilofa) foliis lanceolatis obtufis, cauie tu- 
berculato decumbente, Hort. Cliff, 355.. Broom with 
ebiufe 
