Spartium junceum (Spanish Broom)

Photographs

My photos:

This plant was growing along the Ortega Highway, in March.

More photos:

click photo to enlarge

Plant Information

Fabaceae

In the garden:

Not recommended.

In the wild:

"Spanish broom is native to the southern Mediterranean region of Europe, including Spain, Morocco, the Canary Islands, Madeira, and the Azores (Hickman, 1993) ... In 1949 Spartium junceum had established naturalized populations in Marin County (Howell 1949). This species spreads by abundantly, producing seeds that are transported by any type of erosion or by rain wash.

"In California Spanish broom is found in North Coast counties, the San Francisco Bay region, the Sacramento Valley, through South Coast counties to the Mexican border, in the western Transverse Ranges, and the Channel Islands. It is common in disturbed places, particularly eroding slopes, river banks, road cuts, and abandoned or disturbed lands, and can colonize post-burn chaparral and soft chaparral sites.

"Spanish broom rapidly colonizes disturbed habitats and develops thick shrub communities that prevent colonization by native soft or hard chaparral species. Plants grow to more than head height and form a tangle containing a large amount of dead wood. Mature stands of Spanish broom should be considered a fire hazard during the dry season. It is poor forage for native wildlife."

[ref]

Ethnobotany:

"It was introduced into the California ornamental trade in 1848 in San Francisco (Butterfield 1964). Beginning in the late 1930s, Spanish broom was planted along mountain highways in southern California (Hellmers and Ashby 1958)." [ref]

Field Trips
Anza Borrego Caspers Holy Jim Canyon Idyllwild
Joshua Tree Mt Palomar Rancho Santa Ana Torrey Pines
Ortega Highway

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