‖ ulex Bot.
(ˈjuːlɛks)
[mod.L. (Linnæus, 1737), a. L. ulex (Pliny) a shrub resembling rosemary.]
A genus of thorny papilionaceous shrubs belonging to the order Leguminosæ; a plant belonging to this genus, esp. Ulex Europæus the common furze, gorse, or whin.
| 1753 Chambers' Cycl. Suppl. s.v. 1755 Dict. Arts & Sci., Ulex, in botany, a genus..of plants, with a papilionaceous flower; and an oblong turgid pod for its fruit. 1859 Darwin Orig. Spec. xiii. (1860) 439 The embryonic leaves of the ulex or furze..are pinnate or divided like the ordinary leaves of the leguminosæ. |