COMMON BROOM.

1135

of \y S r,)IlY -—Jt is uncertain who first mentioned this plant. The oirapTiov(SjV’^corides (lib. iv. cap. 158) is Spartium junceum or Spanish BroomX X j v Pfodr. FI. Grac. ii. 53). The Genista of Pliny {Hist. Nat. lib.

Cyt’isus scopa'rius, Decandolle, L. E.— Common Broom.

Spar'tium scopa'rium, Linn. D.

Sex. Syst . Diadelphia, Decandria.

(Cacumina recentia, L. —Tops, E.— Cacumina, D.)

hist • Ca ^‘ ed ' ^ alp.) was probably the same plant, though the Homan

tW° rian " as himself doubtful whether this plant was identical with- of

The,

the Greeks.

plant

Sprengel {Hist. Rei Herb. i.

80) considers that

^°phrastus was undoubtedly acquainted with Common Broom.ctiq r ° T ' VXY - Gen. Char. —Calyx two-lipped; the upper lip generallyk ee f e ’ tiie lower one somewhat three-toothed. Vexillum ovate, large ;phou, er ^" °h>tuse, enclosing the stamens and pistils. Stamens monadel-L e ffume piano-compressed, many-seeded, without glands.—Sj> *' P eaves trifoliate (10. C.)

T(jp s '. P 11 A ii.—Branches angular, smoothish. Leaves trifoliate, stalked.

Leaflets oblong. Flowers axillary, stalked, solitary. Le-A at ti le margin (I). C.)

leav e , y ’.three to six feet high. Branches long, straight, and green.• Ve Uov < eciduous ’ u PP er ones generally simple. Flowers large, brightdai-]j 4 ’ broad; vexillum and ala much spreading. Legumes large,Ha r ° VVl1 ’ con taining fifteen or sixteen seeds.in J Uri ^ Indigenous ; growing on dry hills and bushy'places. Flowers

hitt e j SCRlPTl 0 N -—Broom-tops {scoparium; cacumina scoparii) have aCo' nauseous taste, and, if fresh, a remarkable odour when bruised.Gr ass j iI 1 > 0 s iT Io N.—The flowers of broom contain, according to Cadet doiv a # C ° Urt ( Journ. de Pharm. x. 448), concrete volatile oil, fatty matter,' aiJ eii (: ilor °phylle, yellow colouring matter, tannin, a sweet substance,5 - 7 g °zmazome, albumen, and woody fibre. The ashes amounted toc ^°iid 1 ceilt- ’ and contained 29 per cent, of carbonate of potash, besidesphosj)] G <d ' Potassium, sulphate of potash, chloride of calcium, nitrate,nrul sil} 3 * 6 ’ and su lphate of lime, carbonates of lime, magnesia, and iron,plant C j'~~Salt of broom, or sal genista, is obtained by burning the whole{Hist of c °ntains a large proportion of carbonate of potash. Hillthe l ea ^f Mat. Med. 397) saj’s, that a pound of the green twigs, withP Ilv es ai 'd flowers, yields a drachm and a half of this salt.

°f g Logical Effects, {a.) On animals generally. — In some parts«a» q P e . Troorn is employed as winter food for sheep ; and Withering"Ifich t P reven ts the disease called rot, and is salutary in dropsy, toease 0 f ^ e P are liable. According to Loudon, it is apt to produce dis-

rec °nunend q nnai T or S ans > to prevent which a plentiful use of water is

H small ma f "' — H. large doses broom-tops are an emetic and purgative,they h ^ doses they are diuretic and mildly laxative. As a diureticUSe >” say 2 n' en ce l e hrated by Mead and Cullen.—“ Though very little infr °m j n ,, H r - Cullen {Mat. Med.), “ 1 have inserted this in my catalogueP°°ple • T?' Vn ex P ei ‘ience of it. I found it first in use among our common’ ut I have since prescribed it to some of my patients in the