Pods of each burst open when fully mature, scattering seed quite a distance, which contributes to their invasiveness. They are now considered to be invasive species and plantings of each are discouraged in parts of the U.S. French broom pods are covered completely with reddish golden hairs, while Scotch broom pods have hairs only on the edges.īrooms were introduced into the United States by the USDA Soil Conservation Service for use as ornamental landscape plantings and as an erosion preventative and soil stabilizer. The pods of the four brooms become hard and tough when mature and are brownish-black in color. Spanish and French brooms have clusters of fragrant bright yellow flowers borne in clusters at the tips of branches while flowers of Scotch and Portuguese brooms are found in leaf axils Scotch broom flowers lack fragrance and can have red or purple as well as yellow petals French broom produces flowers in clusters of 4 to 10 on the ends of small branchlets. French broom stems are brown with many leaves. Scotch broom stems are five-ridged while French and Portuguese stems have up to ten ridges. Spanish broom stems are bright green, nearly rounded with few leaves. Scotch, Portuguese, and French brooms have trifoliate leaves, those with three leaflets, while Spanish brooms produce single, lance-shaped leaves. The leaves, stems, flower and pod characters characterize the three brooms.ĭistinguishing Spanish, Scotch, Portuguese, and French Brooms: Their short leaves are borne on woody stems with yellow flowers that mature to pea-like pods. But they are genetically separate and unique the scientific name of Spanish broom is Spartium junceum Scotch broom, Cytisus scoparius Portuguese, Cytisus striatus and French broom, Genista monspessulana.īrooms are shrubby perennials with branches that have compact, short shoots resembling whiskbrooms and are suitable for as use as brooms, hence the name. They share a European heritage, native to the British Isles and Western Europe they look similar, have similar growth habits and life cycles. Scotch broom is also known as common broom and Spanish broom as weaver’s broom. There are actually several brooms – Spanish, Scotch (or Scot), Portuguese, and French brooms, all members of the Fabaceae (formerly Leguminosae), legume or bean, family.
Maxicut head french broom full#
of Lubbock asks if the floriferous, yellow flowering shrubs in full bloom for the last several weeks are Scotch or Spanish brooms.
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