Yellow Bridal Broom
Retama sphaerocarpa
It acts as a 'nurse plant', enriching the dry soil with nitrogen and providing shade so other delicate plant species can grow beneath it.
- Scientific name
- Retama sphaerocarpa
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Fabales › Fabaceae › Retama
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- desert
- Habitat
- Dry Mediterranean shrublands, semi-arid slopes, and sandy riverbeds.
- Diet
- Autotrophic (photosynthesis, nitrogen-fixing)
- Range
- Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Algeria
- Size
- 1 to 3 meters tall
- Lifespan
- 20 to 50 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Habitat loss due to intensive agriculture, urbanization, and land clearing.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. You can safely approach and admire its vibrant yellow blooms. Do not ingest any part of the plant, as it contains toxic alkaloids that can cause poisoning. If ingested, seek medical attention.
Retama sphaerocarpa is a flowering bush species in the genus Retama , native to the Iberian Peninsula (Portugal and Spain) and North Africa (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia).
Photo: Jorge Íñiguez, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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