Scotch Broom
Cytisus scoparius
On hot summer days, its ripe seed pods dry out and violently snap open with an audible cracking sound, catapulting seeds several meters away.
- Scientific name
- Cytisus scoparius
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Fabales › Fabaceae › Cytisus
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- increasing
- Biome
- grassland
- Habitat
- Dry, sandy soils, disturbed grasslands, pastures, roadsides, and open forest edges.
- Diet
- Autotrophic (Photosynthesis / Nitrogen-fixing)
- Range
- Europe, North America, Australia, New Zealand
- Size
- 1 to 3 meters (3 to 10 feet) tall
- Lifespan
- 10 to 15 years, though its seeds can remain viable in the soil for over 30 years.
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Targeted manual eradication, biological control insects like the broom seed weevil, and dense forest canopy shade.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless to touch, but all parts of the plant are toxic to humans, livestock, and pets if ingested due to quinolizidine alkaloids. Safe to observe from any distance. If ingested, monitor for symptoms such as nausea or an irregular heartbeat, and seek medical or veterinary attention immediately.
Cytisus scoparius , the common broom or Scotch broom , syn. Sarothamnus scoparius , is a perennial leguminous shrub native to western and central Europe. In Britain and Ireland, the standard name is broom , but this name is also used for other members of the Genisteae tribe, such as French broom or Spanish broom, and the term common broom is sometimes used for clarification. In other English-speaking countries, the most prevalent common name is Scotch broom (or Scot's broom );...
Photo: Jonathan Eyestone, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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