S partium Scoparium. Common Broom. 
SPARTIUM Lin. Gen. PL DiadelphIa Decandria. 
Stigma longitudinale, fupra villofurri. Filamenta germini adhaerentia. 
Cal. deorfum produCius. 
Raii Syn. Arbores et Frutices. 
SPARTIUM Scoparium foliis ternatis folitariifque ramis inermibus angulatis. Lin. Syfl. Vegetab. 
p. 644. Sp. PL p. ggS. FL Suec. n. 633. 
SPARTIUM foliis inferioribus ternatis hirfutis, fuperioribus fimplicibus. Haller hijl. n. 354. 
GENISTA angulofa et fcoparia. BauL pin. 395. 
GENISTA cumrapo. Dodon. Pempt. p. 761. Ger. emac. 1311. 
GENISTA vulgaris five fcoparia. Park. Theat. p. 228. 
GENISTA angulofa trifolia. I. B. I. 388. Raii Syn. p. 474. Common Broom. Hudfon FL 
Angl. led. 2. p. 310. Lightfoot FL Scot. p. 382. 
Frutex tripedalis ad orgyalem et ultra, ramofiflimus, G 
ramis ereCtis, virgatis, viridibus, angulatis, $ 
flexilibus, junioribus pubefeentibus 
FOLIA faepius ternata, fummis fubinde folitariis, < 
foliolis ovatis, acutis, pubefeentibus, ciliatis, 
ciliis mollibus inflexis. 
PETIOLI pubefeentes, complanati. 
FLORES lutei, maximi, laxe racemoli. 
<> 
BRACTEAL quatuor, obovatae, imequales, cruciatas, G 
obtufae, ad bafin pedunculorum. $ 
PEDUNCULI folitarii, faspius bini, raro terni, teretes, <> 
glabri, ftipula minima utrinque inftruCii. | 
0 
CALYX: Perianthium monophyllum, parvum, | 
bilabiatum, faspe purpureum, obfolete den- 0 
ticulatum, labiorum apicibus marcidis fufeis, | 
fig- 1. | 
COROLLA papihonacea, pentapetala, Vexillum ob- G 
cordatum, reflexum, maximum, jig. 2. Ala: $ 
longitudine carinas, fubovales, breviter pe- G 
tiolatas, jig. 3. Carina ampla et profunda, | 
obtufe roftrata, jig. 4. dipetala, aut in duas G 
partes facile feparabilis, margine carinali $ 
villis connexo. <> 
I 
STAMINA: Filamenta decem, inferne in unum <]> 
corpus coalita (hinc decandria non diadel- | 
phia) aflurgentes, inferioribus longioribus ; <> 
Anther/E oblongas, crocas, jig. 5. G 
G 
PISTILLUM: Germen oblongum, hirfutum; Sty- Q 
lus Tubulatus, affurgens, demum fpiraliter $ 
involutus ad apicem inferne canaliculatus, G 
Stigma terminale, minimum, capitatum, ^ 
jig. 6 . auft. jig. 7. | 
PERICARPIUM: Legumen latum, compreflum, ni- f 
gricans, marginibus pilis mollibus ciliatis,^g-.8. | 
SEMINA plurima ad 20, minuta, fubovata, Iutefcen- <> 
tia, nitida, Jig. 9. G 
A Shrub from three to fix feet high or more, very 
much branched, the branches upright, 
t wiggy, green, angular, flexible, the young 
ones downy. 
LEAVES moll commonly growing by threes, upper- 
moft ones fometimes fingly, leaflets ovate, 
acute, downy, edged with foft hairs bend- 
ing inwards. 
LEAF-STALKS downy, flattened. 
FLOWERS yellow, very large, growing in loofe 
racemi. 
BRACTEAE four, inverfely ovate, unequal, crofs- 
Ihaped, obtufe at the bafe of the flower-ftalks. 
FLOWER-STALKS Angle, oftener two, rarely three, 
round, fmooth, furnilhed on each fide with 
a very minute ftipula. 
CALYX: a Perianthium of one leaf, fmall, two- 
lipped, often purple, faintly toothed, ex- 
tremities of the lips withered and brown, 
fig- i- .. 
COROLLA papilionaceous, pentapetalous, Standard 
inverfely heart-fhaped, reflexed, very large, 
fig. 2. Wings the length of the keel, fome- 
what oval, on Ihort footftalks, jig. 3. Keel 
large and deep, beak blunt, fig. 4. compofed 
of two petals, or at leaft eafily feparated into 
two parts, the edges being conne&ed toge- 
ther at the keel with foft hairs. 
STAMINA: ten Filaments, below united into one 
body (hence of the clafs decandria rather 
than diadelphia) riling upwards, the lower- 
moll ones longeft ; Anthers oblong, 
faffron-coloured, Jig. 5. 
PISTILLUM: Germen oblong, hirfute ; Style 
tapering, riling upward, finally bent fpirally* 
fo as to form fomewhat more than a circle 
near the tip hollowed below ; Stigma ter- 
minal, very fmall, and forming a little head, 
fig. 6 . magnified, jig. 7. 
SEED-VESSEL a broad, flat, blackilh Pod, edged 
with foft hairs, fig. 8. 
SEEDS numerous to 20, fmall, fomewhat ovate, 
dingy yellow, glofly, fig. 9. 
The common Englilh Broom is one of the moll: ornamental (hrubs we have, efpecially that variety of it, in 
which the calyx is purple, and the blofloms ftrongly tinged with orange ; but even in its common ftate, fuch 
is the profufion of blofloms 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, Tandy, barren foils, bears tranfplanting badly, but is mod 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 fereens ; 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 f, and of being manufactured into coarfe cloth + ; 
the old wood, as furnilhing the cabinet-maker with the mod beautiful materials for vaneering; and the tender 
branches, to be frequently mixed with hops for brewing §. 
* Dodon, 
t Haller. 
1 Ibid. 
§ Lightfoot, PI. Scot* 
The 
