to th e soil and situation. Flowers large, yellow ; May and Ju n e. Leguma
black ; ripe m September. Naked young wood green.
Varieties,
a C. s. 2 allnis H o rt. has the flowers white, or o f a very pale yellow.
st C. s. A flare pieno H o rt. has flowers slightly double.
The roots are straight, and penetrate perpendicularly to a great depth. The
leaves are trifoliolate or simple ; the branches numerous, long, straight, an«ular
dark green, smooth, and tough. The flowers are o f a deep golden yellow’
sometimes tinged with orange, and occasionally o f a uniform pale lemon
colour ; they are succeeded by pods above an inch long,
black when ripe, and each containing 15 or 16 seeds.
The flowers are larger than those o f any o th e r species
o f the genus ; and, were th e plant not so common in
a wild state, it would, doubtless, be considered the
most ornamental. The whole plant is exceedingly tough,
and bitter to th e taste, and has a strong disagreeable
smell. Though it is at present comparatively neglected,
ye t in former times it was one o f very great importance
in rural and domestic economy. The branches are eaten
by sheep and cattle ; and, on poor gravelly soils, formed,
before the general improvement o f grass lands which
has taken place within th e last century, th e principal
herbage. One o f the principal modern uses of the broom,
both in Britain and on the Continent, is to form
brooms, or besoms; for which purpose, as th e specific
name would imply, it appears to have been used from
time immemorial. T h e young shoots were formerly
used as a substitute for hops in brewing b e er; and the
flower-buds, ju s t before they become yellow, were pickled S49. c y ---------------
tisu s ic o p à riu s .
in th e manner o f capers. The tops and leaves are purgative and diuretic.
In tile JNorth o f Scotland, a decoction o f the recent shoots is used by shepherds,
for dressing th e backs o f sheep, instead o f tobacco water. The broom
produces abundance o f seeds, which, according to M. Hartig, retain their
germinating quality for a very long time : some th a t he kept 25 years, in a
room which was occupied, having come up as readily as new seed,
§ iii. Calycótome L in k .
a c u ttin g ; in re feren ce to th e calyx, th e u p p e r p a r t o f
cu t iom id ^ niaiiner as to g ive th e rema inder th e appearance o f being
Sect. Char. - Calyx campanulate, somewhat bilabiate, a t length becoming trun-
cate. Pod thickened on th e upper suture. Shrubs with spiny branches
and yellow flowers. (Dec. Prod.)
10. C, spiNo'sus Lam. The spiny Cytisus,
P- i ite r
Synonyme. 5 pàrtium spinòsum L in . Sp. 997.
E n g ra vin g s. J. Bauh. H i s t , 1. p. 2. p . 376., icon. ; Lob. Icon., 2. t. 95. ; and o u rj^ r. 350.
Spec. Char., 4c. Branches angled, spiny. Leaves trifoliol.ate ;
leaflets obovate-oblong. Legumes perfectly smooth. (Dec.
Prod.) An upright spiny shrub. U()on hills and rough places
from Perpignan to Genoa, in Corsica, and in the Ahrerine
country. Height 2 ft. to 10 ft. Introduced in 1596. Flowers
yellow ; Ju n e and July. Legume black ; ripe in October.
There are plants in the H o rt. Soc. Garden.
3 50. C. spinòsus.
1 1 . C . TR IB RA CTBO EA 'TU S Wcbb. T h e thrce-bractcd Cylisus.
E n g ra vin g s, u u a n iap a n ., v.
Spec. Char., 4c. Decumbent. Branches tetragonal,
divaricate, rigid, obtuse. Leaves trifol olate,
verticillately sub-opposite; leaflets
sliriitly obtuse a t th e apex, retuse, with ash-
coloured silky down, petiolulate. Common petiole
none, or cohering with the branch.
larv, clustered, pedunculate. Calyx bilabiate,
h a iry ; upper lip cut to th e middle in narrow
acute segments; lower lip longer, narrow, 3-
to o th e d ; middle tooth longest, supported a t the
base by three ovate closely pressed biacts.
{W e h b ,O tm H is p .) A decumbent shrub, ev eu
3 5 1 . cy tisu s trib ra c teo ’À tu i.
; S llr u u ,c v c i -
s i v - i l s s f i T & r ‘i i =
y ellow; May. Legume?.
* 12. C. EANI'GERUS Dec. T h e wool-bearing Cytisus,
Ueniijication. D e c. P ro d ., 2. p. IM. ; D o n ’s M ill.. 2. p. 155. ; Webb Ite r
2“ «
E ^ Z v i T o S 'r“ l '3 6 2 . from a specimen in th e B ritish Museum. _
Spec. Char., 4c. Branches furrowed, spiny. Leaves tn -
foliolate; leaflets obovate-elliptical. Legumes very hairy
in a woolly manner. (Dec. Prod^ A spiny shrub.
Fo u n d wild on hills and m rough places in Corsica,
Crete, the Archipelago, Mauritania Gibraltar ftu''-
tug’al. Height 2 ft. to 10 ft. Introduced in 182L
Flowers yellow; Ju n e and Ju ly . Legume dark brown,
or black ; ripe in October.
Vanety.^ 3 rigidus Dec. — Spines very strong.
N o t common in collections, and in all probability it is
nothing more than a variety of th e preceding species. 3 5 2 . C. la n ig e ru s .
§ iv. Tubocytisus Dec.
D e rivation. F rom tu bm , a tu b e, an d t ^ i s m ; in reference to th e tu b u la r shape o t th e calyx.
jje r ivu ttu it. - 1 1 T 1
Sect. Char. Calyx tubular, with the apex toothed-hpped.
(Dec. Prod., ii. p. 155-)
A. Flowers white or whitish.
Thornless shrubs.
M 13. C. eeuca'nthus Waldst. et K it. The white-flowered
Cytisus.
Uentifieation. W a ld st. e t K it., 2. p. 141.; D e c. P ro d ., 2. p. 165.; D o n ’s Mill.,
E l Z ' a ^ g s . B o t.M a g .,t . 1438.; an d o u r J%. 853.
Spec. Char., 4c. Stem erect. Branches round, and, as well
as the leaves, clothed with closely pressed pubescence. Leaflets
elliptic and acute. Flowers a t the points of the bran ch es;
heads of flowers bracteated by two leaves._ (D e c Prod.) A
downy shrub. Croatia, in woods. H e ig ft 3 ft. to 4 ft.
Introduced in 1806. Flowers yellowish white ; Ju n e and
July. Legume black ; ripe m October.
A