Ulex

Taxonomy

Ulex C. Linnaeus Sp. Pl. 741. 1 Mai 1753.

Subfamily: Faboideae.
Phylogenetic Number: 3.30.25.
Tribe: Genisteae.
Species Studied - Species in Genus: 7 studied; 20 in genus.

Description

Fruit: A legumelegume:
usually dry, dehiscent fruit derived from a single carpel that opens along two longitudinal sutures
; unilocular; 0.8–2 cm long; 0.4–0.45 cm wide; 0.14–0.15 cm thick; 2–9 times longer than wide; with deciduous androecial sheath (with the standard), or persistent androecial sheath; with deciduous corolla (with the androecial sheath), or persistent corolla; with various petals; with persistent calyx; with calyx shorter than fruit; without orifice formed by curving of fruit or fruit segments; straight; not plicate; not twisted; symmetrical, or asymmetrical; linear (oblong), or oblong, or ovate, or rhombic; with both sutures nearly straight; not inflated; compressed, or terete; without beak, or with beak; straight; with solid beak the same color and texture as fruit; tapered at apex; aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit; short tapered at base; aligned with longitudinal axis of fruit, or oblique with longitudinal axis of fruit; with the apex and base uniform in texture; coriaceous, or ligneous, or fragile, thinner than chartaceous, like Trifolium; seed chambers externally visible, or invisible; margin not constricted; margin without sulcus; margin plain; wing(s) absent; substipitate, or nonstipitate; with all layers dehiscing; splitting along suture(s). Dehiscence of valves along both sutures; apical and down; active; with valves twisting. Replum invisible. Epicarp dull; monochrome, or multicolored; bichrome (upper portion darker than lower portion); reddish brown; with surface texture uniform, or not uniform, with patches of different texture not restricted to the base and apex; pubescent and indurate; with hairs erect; with 1 type of pubescence; villous; with pubescence more or less golden, or gray; with pubescence uniformly distributed; with simple hairs; pliable; with hair bases plain; eglandular; without spines; smooth; not veined; not tuberculate; not exfoliating; without cracks; without embedded tissue, much thicker than epicarp, running from base to apex. Mesocarp present; thin; surface not veined; 1-layered; without balsamic vesicles; without fibers; without reniform canals; solid; coriaceous, or ligneous (sub). Endocarp present; visible; dull; opaque; monochrome; reddish brown; smooth; without adhering pieces of testa; nonseptate; chartaceous; not exfoliating; remaining fused to mesocarp and epicarp; without wings; entire. Seed(s) 1–6; length parallel with fruit length, or oblique to fruit length; neither overlapping nor touching; in 1 series. Funiculus of 1 length only; thick; curved. Aril present; fleshy, or dry; when fleshy topknotlike; entire; when dry rim-aril; entire; brown, or tan, or cream, or ivory.

Seed: 2–3 mm long; 1.3–3.5 mm wide; 1–2.7 mm thick; not overgrown; not angular, or angular; asymmetrical; oblong, or ovate, or rectangular, or triangular, or circular, or irregular; compressed, or terete; with surface smooth; with visible radicle and cotyledon lobes, or without visible radicle and cotyledon lobes; without external groove between radicle and cotyledon lobes, or with external groove between radicle and cotyledon lobes (faint); with external groove between radicle and cotyledon lobes same color as testa; without hilar sinus; without umbo on seed faces; without medial ridge on each face. Cuticle not exfoliating; not inflated; not wrinkled. Testa present; without pieces of adhering epicarp; not adhering to endocarp; free from endocarp; glossy, or dull; not modified by a bloom; colored; monochrome; reddish to greenish brown, or tan (greenish), or green; glabrous; smooth; coriaceous. Pleurogram absent. Pseudopleurogram absent. Fracture lines absent. Rim absent. Wing(s) absent. Raphe not visible. Hilum present; fully concealed; concealed by aril; with faboid split; with the lips of the faboid split the same color as the rest of the hilum; larger than punctiform; 0.5–1 mm long; with curved outline; elliptic, or oval; apical at apex of radicle tip, or subapical to radicle tip, or between cotyledon and radicle lobe; recessed; within rim; rim color lighter than testa (greenish-tan), or darker than testa (dark brown). Lens discernible; 0.7–1 mm long; with margins straight, or curved; oblong (with or without central groove); oblong (with or without central groove), or key-hole shaped (more or less); not in groove of raphe; confluent with hilum; flush, or recessed; same color as testa, or similar color as testa; lighter than testa, or darker than testa; reddish brown; not within corona, halo, or rim. Endosperm present; thick; not pluglike and not resembling tip of radicle; covering entire embryo; adnate to embryo. Cotyledons smooth; both outer faces convex; both the same thickness; both more or less of equal length; not folded; margin entire 180 degrees from base of radicle; similar at apex; not concealing radicle; split over radicle; with lobes; with the interface division terminating at base of radicle; without margins recessed; tan; inner face flat; glabrous on inner face. Embryonic axis deflexed; oblique to length of seed; without a joint evident between the radicle and the cotyledons. Radicle differentiated from cotyledon; bulbose; lobe tip straight; deflexed and parallel to cotyledon length; centered between cotyledons; 1/2 to nearly length of cotyledons, or equaling length of cotyledons. Plumule rudimentary, or moderately developed; glabrous.

Distribution

Western Europe and northern Africa, Introduced elsewhere.

Old World; western Europe to Mediterranean to Macaronesia to Africa (northern).

Worldwide crop.

Tribal Notes

Tribe Genisteae

Traditionally this tribe has been called Genisteae. Reveal (1997) reported that the name Cytiseae was published before the name Genisteae. Following the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (Greuter et al., 1994), the oldest name for a taxon must be used, so Reveal suggested that this tribe should be called Cytiseae. In 1999 Reveal (1999) reversed himself, so that this tribe remains the Genisteae. Bisby (1981) summarized tribe Genisteae, following the excellent study by Polhill (1976). Bisby correctly noted that "many species have been moved from one genus to another several times and the Cytisus-Genista complex has gained a reputation as a critical group." He continued with an indepth analysis of the tribe. Polhill (1994a, 1994b) and Van Wyk and Schutte (1995a), using chemical and morphological characters, transferred five genera from Crotalarieae (27) to Genisteae: Anarthrophyllum (30.06), Argyrolobium (30.03), Dichilus (30.02), Melolobium, and Sellocharis (30.07). Cristofolini (1997) carried out a cladistic study of the tribe's biogeography, and discussed its early evolutionary history. López et al. (2000) studied the species of this tribe occurring in southwestern Spain and presented detailed descriptions for and a key to them.