:
i:;
àÈ 1 . î 7 ' l e x e u r o p æ ' a L . The E u ro p ean , o r common. Furze, or Whin,
Identification. L in . Spec., 1045. v a r. m ; D e c . P ro d ., 2. p. 144. ; D o n ’s Mill., 2. p . 14^^.
Synorn/mcs. G e n is ta spinósa L 'O h e i; U. g randiflòra ; Í/. vernàlis T h o re ; W h in , G orse ,
P rick ly B ro om e ; Ajonc common, Jo n c m arin , Jom a rin , o r Genet ép in e u x , F r.
E n g ra v in g s. Eng. Bot., t. 742.; a n d owx fig s. 299. a n d 300.
Spec. Char., 4’C. Leave.s lanceolate, linear. Bi-anclilets villous. Bracteas
ovate, loose. Calyx pubescent. An erect compact bush, evergreen, from
the colour o f th e bark. Middle and South of Eu ro p e, on gravelly soils ;
and in Britain on hills. Height 2 ft. to 5 ft. ; in sheltered woods, 10ft.
Flowers rich yellow ; F eb ru a r)' to May, and in mild winters September
to May. P o d brown ; ripe in August.
Varieties.
« U. ». 2 flò re pièno has double flowers, and is a splendid plant when
profusely covered with blos.soms, well adapted for small gardens, and
ea.sily increased by cuttings.
U. provinciàlis and U. stricta are probably only varieties o f U. eii-
ropæ'a, but, as they may (lossibly belong to U. nàna, we have k ep t them
distinct, an d tre a te d them as botanical species or races.
T h e common furze, in Caernarvonshire, grows
to th e height o f 1500 ft. above th e sea, in open,
airy, warm situations ; b u t in damp shaded valleys,
n o t higher than 600 ft.
In th e North o f E n g land,
according toWinch,
it forms fine fox covers
a t 800 or 900 feet ; and
grows, in warm sheltered
situations, a t 2000 ft.
At Inverness, it i.s found
to th e height o f 1150 ft.
About Tongue, in the
north-west o f S u th e rland,
where it was introduced,
2 9 9 . [ I'lex e u ro pæ 'a . 3 0 0 . [I'lex e u ro poe 'a
b u t is now
naturalised, it scarcely attains 350 ft. o f elevation. The young branches,
bruised, and given to c attle and horses in a green state, are found highly
nutritive as fo d d e r; and for th is purpose th e variety U. ( e .) s tric ta i.s preferable,
on account o f th e absence o f prickles. The use o f furze for hedges
is chiefly desirable in situations where the hawthorn or th e iiolly will not
th riv e ; because th e furze is n o t a plant of long duration. As a shelter to
young trees, it is sometimes .sown where acorns, beech masts, or ch estn u ts are
to be sown, o r young trees are to be planted. T h e use o f furze in a dead
state is-chiefly as fuel for bakers’ ovens, for brick, tile, and lime kilns, and for
lighting fires. In Scotland, it is sometimes used in kilns for drying oats.
In England, a common use o f it is to weave into th e sides o f hovels for
sheltering cattle, to p rev en t them from rubbing against them. In gardens,
th e points o f th e shoots are chopped into pieces o f about 1 in. in length, and
dropped into th e drills in which peas are sown, before th e seeds are covered ;
and, the earth being drawn over them and trod down, they are found effectually
to resist th e a ttacks o f mice and small birds. In Fran c e , th e chopped
branches are mixed with cow-dung, and th e mixture afterwards formed into
bricks, wliich are dried in th e sun, and used as fuel. T h e seeds, if they could
be procured in sufficient quantity, would, if ground into flower, form a n u tritive
food both for cattle and swine : they retain their vital p ro p e rty for several
years. In Britany, large lieaps are formed o f alternate layers o f tu r f and
dried furze branches; and, th e whole being set fire to , th e ashes are preserved
as manure. In many p a rts o f both Fran c e and England, th e ashes o f dry
furze branches are used as a lye for washing linen. A pound o f seeds, which,
in London, costs from 8rf. to Is., will sow an acre broad-cast, or a drill o f a
I
«_ 2. U. ( E . ) n a 'n . a Forst. T h e dwarf Fu rze .
Identification. Smith Eng. F l., 3 p. 266. ; E n g . B o t., t. 743. ; D e c . P ro d ., 2. p . 144 , D o n s
brous, with c a l y x te e th , and the
c h a ra c te r co n s is ts m the m o i c ^ » discernible, brae-
C “ ' i [a B —
A very distinct so rt, though,
from th e very diflerent and more
luxuriant habit which th e p ant
has when cultivated m gardens
on rich soils, we have no doubt ot
its being only a variety of U. eu-
ropm'a. In its native habitats it
is easily distinguished from th a t
species by its low growth, seldom
exceeding 2 f t. in h e ig h t; by its
being much smaller in all its p a rts;
by its decumbent h a b i t ; and by its
flowering from th e end o f August
till th e beginning of December,
and seldom at any o th e r season,
formed o f it.
302. U. (e.) nhna.
H. (e.) n à r a .
V e ry n e at low hedges and edgings may be
4 x 3 [ I (E .) p ROVINCIa' lis L o « . The Provence Furze.
z Z y l l r L / n c L . 105. ; D .C P ro d ., 2. p. 144. ; D o n . MU.., 2. p . 148.;
o u r /% . 3 0 3 .
E n „ s . Lors. No descent, with lanceolate distant
all its p a rts and in its habit, between U. enropm a and H.
' ^ rn u p n p p Andegavany, and Height 2 ft.
7 T f t Intro d u ced in 1820. Flowers rich yellow ; August
to December. P o d b r o w n ; ripe in December. ^
W h atev e r doubts there may be as to U. n t a a being a distinct
snecies th e re can be none as to this so rt being only a variety.
As a r f t e r g r e e n shrub, flowering fre e ly ; it well deserves a place
in collections.
5 03. [I. proTinciiilis.
a 4 H (E .) STRi'cTA Mackay. T h e u p rig h t-g ro t« i» g , or Irish, F u rz e .
i Z ' V h a r Z Z H a w r erect, narrow, and compact. Spines few or none ;
£ » = . . . .
e . I . » B —
b row n ; ripe in December. , . , c
Discovered in th e Marquess o f Londonderry’s P a rk , in th e county of