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 Common Broom, Cytisus scoparius
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Brooms are a group of evergreen, semi-evergreen, and deciduous shrubs in the subfamily Faboideae of the legume family Fabaceae, mainly in the three genera Chamaecytisus, Cytisus and Genista, but also in five other small genera (see box, right). Cytisus scoparius ( Common Broom; syn Sarothamnus scoparius) is a perennial leguminous Shrub native to western and central Plants are living Organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. The flowering plants or angiosperms ( Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta) are the most widespread group Dicotyledons, or "dicots", is a name for a group of Flowering plants whose Seed typically has two embryonic leaves or Cotyledons There Fabales is an order of Flowering plants It is included in the rosid group of the Eudicots in the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group II Fabaceae or Leguminosae is a large and economically important family of Flowering plants which is commonly known as the legume family, pea Faboideae is a Subfamily of the Flowering plant family Fabaceae or Leguminosae In Botany, an Evergreen plant is a plant having leaves all year round Botany Autumn leaf color. See --> In Botany and Horticulture, deciduous Plants, including A shrub or Bush is a horticultural rather than strictly botanical category of Woody plant, distinguished from a Tree Faboideae is a Subfamily of the Flowering plant family Fabaceae or Leguminosae A legume is a Plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae or a Fruit of these specific plants Fabaceae or Leguminosae is a large and economically important family of Flowering plants which is commonly known as the legume family, pea A genus (plural genera from Γένος Latin genus "descent family type gender" is a low-level Taxonomic All genera in this group are from the tribe Genisteae (syn. In Biology, a tribe &mdashor infrafamily&mdashis a Taxonomic rank between family and Genus. Cytiseae). These genera are all closely related and share similar characteristics of dense, slender green stems and very small leaves, adaptations to dry growing conditions. In Botany, a leaf is an above-ground Plant organ specialized for Photosynthesis. Most of the species have yellow flowers, but a few have white, orange, red, pink or purple flowers. A flower, also known as a bloom or Blossom, is the reproductive structure found in Flowering plants (plants of the division Magnoliophyta, also
Two other close relatives are Ulex (gorse) and Laburnum (laburnum), but these differ more strongly in appearance from the brooms. Gorse ( Ulex) comprises a Genus of about 20 species of Evergreen Shrubs in the subfamily Faboideae of the pea family "Indian laburnum" is the Golden Shower Tree, a distant relative of the genus Laburnum Some botanists include Podocytisus caramanicus in the genus Laburnum.
All the brooms and their relatives (including Laburnum and Ulex) are natives of Europe, north Africa and southwest Asia, with the greatest diversity in the Mediterranean region. The Mediterranean Basin refers to the lands around and surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea. Many brooms (though not all) are fire-climax species, adapted to regular stand-replacing fires which kill the above-ground parts of the plants, but create conditions for regrowth from the roots and also for germination of stored seeds in the soil. Germination is the process whereby growth emerges from a period of dormancy
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Species of broom
The most widely familiar is common broom (Cytisus scoparius, syn. Cytisus scoparius ( Common Broom; syn Sarothamnus scoparius) is a perennial leguminous Shrub native to western and central Sarothamnus scoparius), a native of northwestern Europe, where it is found in sunny sites, usually on dry, sandy soils. Like most brooms, it has apparently leafless stems that in spring and summer are covered in profuse golden-yellow flowers. In late summer, its pea-pod like seed capsules burst open, often with an audible pop, spreading seed from the parent plant. It makes a shrub about 1–3m tall, rarely to 4m. It is also the hardiest broom, tolerating temperatures down to about -25°C.
The largest species of broom is Mount Etna broom (Genista aetnensis), which can make a small tree to 10m tall; by contrast, some other species, e. Genista aetnensis or Mount Etna Broom is a large shrub or small tree endemic to the island of Sicily where it is a very common constituent g. dyer's broom Genista tinctoria, are low sub-shrubs, barely woody at all. Genista tinctoria or Dyer’s Greenweed is a plant species of the genus Genista.
Broom is used as a food source by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species – see list of Lepidoptera that feed on brooms. A larva ( Latin; plural larvae) is a juvenile form of Animal with indirect development, undergoing Metamorphosis (for example Lepidoptera is an order of Insect that includes Moths and butterflies. Brooms ( Cytisus, Genista, etc are used as food plants by the Larvae of a number of Lepidoptera species including Monophagous
Cultivation
Brooms tolerate (and often thrive best in) poor soils and growing conditions. In cultivation they need little care, though they need good drainage and perform poorly on wet soils.
They are widely used as ornamental landscape plants and also for wasteland reclamation (e. Land reclamation is either of two distinct practices One involves creating new land from sea- or riverbeds the other refers to restoring an area to a more natural state (such as after g. mine tailings) and sand dune stabilising. Tailings (also known as slimes, gangue, tailings pile, tails, leach residue, or slickens) are the materials left over In physical Geography, a dune is a Hill of Sand built by Aeolian processes.
Species of broom popular in horticulture are purple broom (Chamaecytisus purpureus; purple flowers), Atlas broom (or Moroccan broom) (Argyrocytisus battandieri, syn. Cytisus battandieri, with silvery foliage), dwarf broom (Cytisus procumbens), Provence broom (Cytisus purgans) and Spanish broom (Spartium junceum). Horticulture is the art and science of plant cultivation Horticulturists (or horticuluralists) work and conduct research in the fields of Plant propagation In Scientific nomenclature, synonyms are different Scientific names used for a single Taxon. Spanish Broom ( Spartium junceum, syn Genista juncea) also known as Weaver's Broom, is a perennial leguminous Shrub native
Many of the most popular brooms in gardens are hybrids, notably Kew broom (Cytisus × kewensis, hybrid between C. In Biology, hybrid has two meanings The first meaning is the result of interbreeding between two animals or plants of different taxa. ardoinii and C. multiflorus) and Warminster broom (Cytisus × praecox, hybrid between C. purgans and C. multiflorus).
Invasive species
In some areas of North America, common broom, introduced as an ornamental plant, has become naturalised and an invasive weed due to its aggressive seed dispersal; it has proved very difficult to eradicate. Ornamental plants are typically grown in the flower Garden or as House plants Most commonly they are grown for the display of their Flowers Other common Introduced species|Weed Invasive species is a phrase with several definitions WEED (1390 AM) is a Radio station broadcasting a Spanish format Similarly, it is a major problem species in the cooler and wetter areas of southern Australia and New Zealand. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island Biological control for broom in New Zealand has been investigated since the mid 1980s. Biological control of pests in Agriculture is a method of controlling pests (including Insects Mites Weeds and plant diseases On the west coast of the United States, French broom (Genista monspessulana) and Spanish broom (Spartium junceum) are also considered noxious invasives, as they are quickly crowding out native vegetation, and grow most prolifically in the least accessible areas. Broom (shrub French Broom ( Genista monspessulana, syn Cytisus monspessulanus or Teline monspessulana) also known as Cape Broom Spanish Broom ( Spartium junceum, syn Genista juncea) also known as Weaver's Broom, is a perennial leguminous Shrub native
Historical uses
The Plantagenet kings used common broom (known as "planta genista" in Latin) as an emblem and took their name from it. Angevin (ˈændʒəvɪn ( French, from Old French, from Medieval Latin Andegavinus from Andegavia Anjou, France) is the name applied It was originally the emblem of Geoffrey of Anjou, father of Henry II of England. Wild broom is still common in dry habitats around Anjou, France. Anjou is a former County (c 880) Duchy ( 1360) and province centred on the city of Angers in the lower
Genista tinctoria (dyer's broom, also known as dyer's greenweed or dyer's greenwood), provides a useful yellow dye and was grown commercially for this purpose in parts of Britain into the early 19th century. Genista tinctoria or Dyer’s Greenweed is a plant species of the genus Genista. A dye can generally be described as a Colored substance that has an affinity to the substrate to which it is being applied Woollen cloth, mordanted with alum, was dyed yellow with dyer's greenweed, then dipped into a vat of blue dye (woad or, later, indigo) to produce the once-famous "Kendal Green" (largely superseded by the brighter "Saxon Green" in the 1770s). A mordant is a substance used to set Dyes on fabrics by forming an insoluble compound with the dye For the purely-slang term alum meaning "graduate" see Alumnus. Indigo is the Color on the Electromagnetic spectrum between about 420 and 450 nm in Wavelength, placing it between Blue and violet Kendal green is a local common name for the plant. Kendal is a Market town and Civil parish within the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England.
The flower buds and flowers of Cytisus scoparius have been used as a salad ingredient, raw or pickled, and were a popular ingredient for salmagundi or "grand sallet" during the 17th and 18th century. Salmagundi is a Salad dish originating in the early 17th century England comprising cooked Meats Seafood, Vegetables Fruit
Folklore and myth
In Welsh mythology, Blodeuwedd is the name of a woman made from the flowers of broom, meadowsweet and the oak by Math fab Mathonwy and Gwydion to be the wife of Lleu Llaw Gyffes. Welsh mythology, the remnants of the Mythology of the pre Christian Britons, has come down to us in much altered form in medieval Welsh manuscripts In Welsh mythology, Blodeuwedd or Blodeuedd, ( Middle Welsh composite name from blodeu 'flowers blossoms' + gwedd 'face aspect appearance' The term oak can be used as part of the common name of any of about 400 species of Trees and Shrubs in the Genus Quercus (from Latin In Welsh mythology, Math fab Mathonwy, also called Math ap Mathonwy (Math son of Mathonwy was a king of Gwynedd who needed to rest his feet in the lap Lleu Llaw Gyffes (/ɬeɨ ɬau gəfes/ sometimes misspelled Llew Llaw Gyffes is a figure of Welsh mythology. Her story is part of the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi, the tale of Math son of Mathonwy. The Four Branches of the Mabinogi are the best known tales from the medieval Welsh prose collection known as the Mabinogion. In Welsh mythology, Math fab Mathonwy, also called Math ap Mathonwy (Math son of Mathonwy was a king of Gwynedd who needed to rest his feet in the lap
A traditional rhyme from Sussex says: "Sweep the house with blossed broom in May/sweep the head of the household away. Sussex is a historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. MAY ( also known as: Mei メイ 메이 is a Korean singer well known in South Korea for singing the song "Miracle" " Despite this, it was also common to include a decorated bundle of broom at weddings. Ashes of broom were used to treat dropsy, while its strong smell was said to be able to tame wild horses and dogs. Oedema (or Edema in American English formerly known as dropsy or hydropsy, is the increase of Interstitial fluid in any organ &mdash swelling
Gallery
 Common broom (Cytisus scoparius). Cytisus scoparius ( Common Broom; syn Sarothamnus scoparius) is a perennial leguminous Shrub native to western and central |
 Genista hirsuta in flower. |
 Dyer's broom (Genista tinctoria). |
 French broom (Genista monspessulana) in flower. Broom (shrub French Broom ( Genista monspessulana, syn Cytisus monspessulanus or Teline monspessulana) also known as Cape Broom |
 Common broom (Cytisus scoparius). |
 Broom, an invasive plant in Wellington, New Zealand. |
 Cytisus purgans |
References
Further reading
- Mabey, Richard Flora Britannica, Sinclair-Stevenson, London, 1996, ISBN 1-85619-377-2
- Royal Horticultural Society's plant database (Accessed 20:53, 29 October 2006 (UTC))
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