Vella L. Vella pseudocytisus, L.

96. Vella L. 2

Small, much-branched shrubs with sessile, entire leaves; hairs unbranched. Flowers in lax, spicate racemes. Sepals erect; petals long-clawed, yellow, sometimes violet-veined; filaments of inner stamens connate in pairs. Fruit a transversely articulate silicula; the lower segment 2-valved, ellipsoidal, subdidymous; valves convex, 3-veined; the upper segment sterile, strongly compressed, in the form of a foliaceous, Ungulate beak, 5-veined.

Literature: O. E. Schulz, Pflanzenreich 84 (IV. 105): 44-7

(1923).

30-100cm, spineless, with obovate leaves; raceme with 10-35 flowers 1. pseudocytisus

10-30 cm, very spiny, caespitose, with narrowly lanceolate leaves; racemes with 3-5 flowers 2. spinosa

1. V. pseudocytisus L. , Sp. Pl. 641 (1753).

Stem densely covered with very short rigid hairs and with scattered longer hairs (except in var. badalii (Pau) Heywood ), densely leafy. Leaves 1-5-2 x 0-5-1 cm, obovate or obovate-lanceolate, somewhat coriaceous, setose-hispid on both surfaces (except in var. badalii ). Petal-limb 3-4 mm wide, orbicular or shortly obovate, with indistinct veins. Lower segment of silicula 3-5-4-5 x 3 mm, sparsely setose or hispid, bilocular; upper segment obtuse. Seed 1(—2) in each loculus. • C. & S. Spain. Hs.