About Genista umbellata (L'Hér.) Poir.
Genista umbellata (L'Hér.) Poir. is a leguminous plant that grows up to 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) tall. It is heavily branched starting from the base, with branches that are alternate, opposite, or fasciculate, and grow in an erect-patent orientation. Its stems have 10 to 14 T-shaped ribs. The lower leaves of young Genista umbellata plants are trifoliolate; all other leaves are unifoliolate, stipitate, and arranged either alternately or oppositely. A stipular organ on the plant is crossed by 3 ribs that join together at the apex. Its inflorescences are terminal, holding 5 to 30 yellow flowers that measure 9–14 mm (0.35–0.55 in). Flowers are pedicellate or subsessile, with 1 bract and 2 bractlets growing on the pedicel. The calyx is 4.5 to 7 (up to 7.5) mm long, campanulate, bilabiate, and covered in villous or sericeous hairs, with a calyx tube shorter than the calyx lips. The corolla's staminate standard is nearly the same size as the keel; both the standard and keel are covered in sericeous or villous hairs. There are 10 stamens, which are monadelphous. The ovary is covered in sericeous or villous hairs and holds 3 to 6 seminal rudiments; the style is glabrous and curved at the apex; the stigma is capitate, and is either extrorse or subterminal. The fruit measures 8-24 × 3.7-4.5 (up to 6) mm, is oblongoid, somewhat flattened and torulose, covered in sericeous or villous silvery hairs, and contains 2 to 4 seeds. The documented chromosome counts for this species are 2n = 46 and 2n = 48. In terms of distribution and habitat, Genista umbellata grows on marly or schistose slopes, and in thickets on calcareous, stony hills. It has an Ibero-Maghrebi distribution, and is found in Spain, Algeria, and Morocco.
