Citation: L., Sp. Pl. 709 (1753).

Derivation: Genista or genesta, Latin name of the broom-plant or broom.

Synonymy: Not Applicable

Common name: Brooms.

Description:
Small to rather large shrubs, spinescent or unarmed; leaves alternate, simple or digitately 3-foliolate; stipules absent or small, often represented by a subglobose swelling (pulvinus).

Flowers in heads or racemes, or in axillary clusters, rarely solitary; bracts and bracteoles various; calyx tubular-campanulate, shortly 2-lipped, upper lip deeply 2-fid, lower shortly 3-toothed; petals yellow; standard broadly ovate; wings oblong, deflexed after opening; keel slightly bent or straight, often deflexed, obtuse, sericeous; all 10 stamens connate into a closed tube; anthers unequally long; ovary sessile, style curved, stigma capitate or oblique.

Pod ovoid to linear-oblong or flattened, dehiscent or indehiscent; seeds 1 to many, arillate or not, grey-green to black.

Distribution:  About 90 species in the Mediterranean region, Europe and western Asia.

Biology: No text

Taxonomic notes: In this treatment I have followed the generic concept of R. M. Polhill (1976) Bot. Syst. 1, where both species, present in S.Aust., are placed under Genista. Some previous authors, such as Gibbs and Dingwall (1971) Bol. Soc. Brot. 45, ser. 2a:269-316, have treated these 2 species in the genus Teline Medikus. (Gibbs (1966) Notes R.Bot. Gard. Edinb. 27:11-99.)

Key to Species:

1. Standard uniformly sericeous; leaves subsessile; leaflets linear-oblanceolate, revolute	G. linifolia 1.
1. Standard practically glabrous; leaves petiolate; leaflets obovate, flattish	G. monspessulana 2.

Author: Not yet available