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short leafy raceme. Pedicles short and slender, clothed with
close-pressed hairs. Bractes 2, very small, linear, acute,
fringed. Calyx 2 lipped, smooth, pale yellowish green: the
upper lip of two acute longish teeth, fringed at the margins :
lower lip with three shorter teeth, also fringed. Vexillum
oblongly cuneate, slightly retuse at the end, keeled at the
back, and channelled on the inside, abruptly attenuated at
the base, with a short slender unguis, a little longer than
the wings and keel. Wings oblongly linear, obtuse, with a
very slender unguis. Keel about the length of the wings,
scarcely so long as the vexillum, with an ear on one side of
each segment at the base, and a very slender unguis on the
other. Stamens 10, all connected in a tube at the base, the
upper part divided into spreading filaments, unequal in
length. Ovarium smooth, 4 to 8-seeded. Style smooth, ascending,
the point curved upwards. Stigma a minute head.
The present genus, although all the species belonging to
it were monadelphous, was nevertheless placed by Linnæus
in his class Diadelphia, with many other papilionaceous
genera that were also monadelphous ; this therefore tends
to mislead the young Linnean Botanist ; for, of course, if
he finds a plant monadelphous, he would immediately turn
to Monadelphia to look for it; we have, therefore, arranged
all the monadelphous ones in their proper places, in the
present new edition of our Hortus Britannicus.
The present genus consists of small, abundant flowering
shrubs, and are a great ornament to the borders of a shrubbery
; and none, however small, ought to be without some
of the species ; the present is a very pretty one, and a great
bloomer ; but being armed with strong spines might be considered
a disadvantage by some persons ; but we think it
may be turned to an advantage, as it is a guard to its flowers
when in bloom. Our drawing was made from fine specimens
sent us from the choice collection of Robert Barclay,
Esq. of Bury Hill, in April last.
The generic name is derived from the Celtic, Gen, a
small bush, which is also Gênet, French.
1. Calyx, on the footstalk, with the two little bractes a little below the base. 2. Vex-
ilUim. 3. The 2 wings. 4. Keel. 5. The 10 Stamens, connected in a tube, distinct from
about half way up. 6. Ovarium, terminated by the slender Style, and minute Stigma.
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