Common Broom
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| Common Broom Conservation status: Secure | ||||||||||||||
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| Missing image Illustration_Cytisus_scoparius0.jpg Common Broom - from Thomé Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz 1885 | ||||||||||||||
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Common Broom (Cytisus scoparius or Sarothamnus scoparius), also known as European Broom, Scots Broom, Irish Broom or English Broom is a perennial, leguminous shrub native to northwestern Europe, where it is found in sunny sites, usually on dry, sandy soils. Common Broom is the hardiest broom, tolerating temperatures down to about -25°C.
Common Broom typically grows to 1-3 m tall, rarely 4 m, with main stems up to 5 cm thick, rarely 10 cm. It has green shoots with small deciduous trifoliate leaves 5-15 mm long, and in spring and summer is covered in profuse golden yellow flowers 20-30 mm from top to bottom and 15-20 mm wide. Flowering occurs after 50-80 growing degree days. In late summer, its pea-pod like seed capsules mature black, 2-3 cm long, 8 mm broad and 2-3 mm thick; they burst open, often with an audible crack, spreading seed from the parent plant.
It has been widely introduced into other continents, and is regarded as a noxious invasive species in many places such as California and New Zealand.
Comm_broom.jpg
External links
- Bioimages - numerous photos (http://www.bioimages.org.uk/HTML/R151074.HTM)
- Growing native plants (http://www.growingnative.org.uk/broom.htm)
- U.S. invasive species info page (http://www.invasivespecies.gov/profiles/scotchbrm.shtml)
- Canada invasive species description (http://www.pfc.cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/biodiversity/broom%5Fe.html)de:Besenginster