![]() Their adaptability and rapid growth can lead to an invasive tendency in some areas.Ĭontrolling broom shrubs with mechanical pulling and cultural management can help in areas with low infestations. They establish quickly in disturbed areas, but also in grassland and forests. The only space that is not pleasing to broom shrubs is a soggy, boggy and shady location. Rather than ask, where do broom shrubs grow, you should ask, where don’t they grow. The bright yellow flowers have a pea-pod like appearance which yield to black or brown pods filled with dark green seeds in late summer. Spanish broom is so closely angled that it appears almost round. Scotch broom has a five-sided stem while French and Portuguese have 8 and 10 angled stems. Stem shape separates the broom shrub varieties. – 3 m.) tall with angled stems and small simple to trifoliate leaves. There are several broom shrub varieties but the most common are the Scotch and Spanish, which were introduced as erosion control.īrooms can get 3 to 10 feet (92 cm. The stems die back in dry weather and produce flammable “torches” of plant material. Brooms produce wide branching root systems and thick tenacious stems. This speedy development makes the plants a threat to native species. The plants have become quite invasive with seeds spreading and sprouting quickly. About Broom Shrub Plantsīrooms form small to large shrubs that grow very quickly. The plant can get a bit invasive in some areas though, but a little information on broom shrubs will help you control the plants while still enjoying their ease of care and brilliant blooms. Broom shrub plants may get 9 feet (2.5 m.) tall and produce some spectacular bloom displays in spring. Most broom shrub varieties were originally introduced as ornamentals but some species became useful as erosion control. The plant attracts insects away from nearby plants.Broom plants, such as Scotch broom ( Cytisus scoparius), are common sights along highways, in meadows and in disturbed areas. Broom is one of the first plant to colonize sand dunes by the coast. Growing well on dry banks and on steep slopes, it is an effective sand binder and soil stabiliser. An essential oil from the flowers is used in perfumery. They are also sometimes used for thatching roofs and as substitutes for reeds in making fences or screens. The branches are used to make baskets, brushes & brooms. A green dye is obtained from the leaves and young tops. A yellow dye is obtained from the flowering stem. A yellow and a brown dye are obtained from the bark. The bark is also a good source of tannin. The fibres are cooked for 3 hours in lye then put in a ball mill for 3 hours. ![]() The branches are harvested in late summer or autumn, the leaves removed and the stems steamed until the fibres can be stripped. It is not as strong as the fibre from the Spanish broom (Spartium junceum). Use this herb with caution since large doses are likely to upset the stomach.Īn excellent fibre is obtained from the bark, it is used in the manufacture of paper, cloth and nets. Since broom causes the muscles of the uterus to contract, it has been used to prevent blood loss after childbirth. The plant is also strongly diuretic, stimulating urine production and thus countering fluid retention. The plant is used internally in the treatment of heart complaints, and is especially used in conjunction with Convallaria majalis. The young herbaceous tips of flowering shoots are cardiotonic, cathartic, diuretic, emetic and vasoconstrictor. It acts upon the electrical conductivity of the heart, slowing and regulating the transmission of the impulses. The roasted seed is a coffee substitute.īroom is a bitter narcotic herb that depresses the respiration and regulates heart action. The tender green tops of the plant have been used like hops to give a bitter flavour to beer and to render it more intoxicating. ![]() Some caution is advised, as the plant has low levels of toxicity, however small amounts are likely to have no adverse effects. The flower buds of broom can be pickled and used as a substitute for capers. It has marginal edible & medicinal uses too, although today has become uncommon as the composition of active ingredients changes throughout the year making it unreliable. Broom is native to many parts of Europe, and as a pioneer Nitrogen fixing shrub has it's place in hedge & agroforestry systems.
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