SPARTIUM, BROOM; a genus of the decandria order, belonging to the diadelphia class of plants. There are 10 species, all of them of shrubby growth. Of these one is the common broom, which grows naturally in this country; the rest are exotics, chiefly from Spain, Portugal, Italy, and other southern parts of Europe, and the Levant. Three of these, viz. the scoparium, or common broom; the junceum, or yellow Spanish broom; and the radiatum, or starry Italian broom, are hardy: but all the rest require the shelter of a green-house in severe winters.—They are all propagated by seeds.—The young flowers of the common broom are sometimes preserved as pickles; and the plant when burnt affords a tolerably pure alkaline salt. Dr Mead relates, that a dropical patient, who had taken the usual remedies, and been tapped three times without effect, was cured by taking half a pint of the decoction of green broom tops, with a spoonful of whole mustard-feed every morning and evening. "An infusion of the feeds drank freely (says Mr Withering) has been known to produce similar happy effects; but whoever expects these effects to follow in every dropical case, will be greatly deceived. I knew them succeed in one case that was truly deplorable; but out of a great number of cases in which the medicine had a fair trial, this proved a single instance. The branches or stalks of common broom being dried in the sun, and treated like hemp, produce threads which may be spun, and worked into a coarse linen-cloth. The wood of a West Indian species of broom, called by Millar the Spartium arboreseens, and frequently known by the name of American ebony, is of a fine greenish brown colour, hard, durable, and takes an exceeding fine polish.