Identifying broom
Spanish Broom (Spartium junceum)
Originating from the Mediterranean and the Azores, it inhabits mountainous regions in California and grows well on poor, dry, stony and limestone soils.
Identifying Spanish broom:
Shrub is 10 - 15 ft tall
Stems are long, smooth and slender. Appears rush-like
Yellow pea-like flowers with groupings of few flowers
Slightly flattened pods 1.5 -4 inches long
Three Species in lake county
French Broom (Genista monspessulana)
Like Spanish broom, originates from the Mediterranean region and the Azores. It grows well in alkaline soils, unlike other broom, but prefers siliceous soils. Siliceous soils are high in silica (Si02).
Identifying French Broom:
Upright shrub less than 10 ft tall
Stems are green, dense and covered with silvery silky hairs
Yellow, pea-shaped flowers in dense clusters of 4-10 flowers.
Small, flattened pods 0.5 - 1 inch long
Scotch Broom (Cytisus scoparius)
Unlike the other brooms, scotch broom originates from central and southern Europe as well as North Africa. It grows best on sandy, high phosphorus soils with acidic to neutral pH and doesn’t grow well on limestone soils like Spanish Broom.
Identifying Scotch Broom:
Fast-growing shrubs 5 - 10 ft tall
Stems are star-shaped in cross-section and ridged
Some stems covered with wavy hairs that become woody and smooth with age
Small, flattened pods 0.75 - 2 inches
Bright yellow flowers are single or in pairs along stem, sometimes can be maroon in color