The seeds and flowers contain several toxic alkaloids and should not be eaten. As the seeds can be carried by moving water new plants are often scattered around aquatic areas. Scotch broom grows primarily in open, dry meadows and along roadsides. Seeds can be carried by animals, machinery, and people as they walk through the fields where this weed is established. The 1/8” long, dark green seeds have very hard seed coats which enable them to survive as many as 80 years before germinating. On warm days these pods open and release the seeds within. In the fall these flowers give rise to small pea pods which ripen black. Yellow flowers, which bloom from May-June are 3/4” long and pea shaped and strongly scented. The leaves are arranged in a simple or trifoliate arrangement and are un-toothed. It bears branched stems which are green and ridged with long division bearing small alternate leaves. Scotch broom is a deciduous shrub that grows to a height of up to 10’ and nearly as wide. It has no spread from British Columbia south into California. It was introduced into the Pacific Northwest as an ornamental, and was used to stabilize eroded areas. In Washington State it is un-lawful to transport, buy or sell all parts of this plant. This species is native to Europe and North Africa.Description Scotch broom is considered a noxious weed in the Pacific Northwest as it outgrows all other vegetation. In much of the Midwest or Mid-Atlantic it dies after about 5 years after planting. I have not seen this broom being invasive in the Philadelphia region or in my native Chicago, IL region. I believe it causes invasive problems with more sandy soil areas, not with heavier silt-clay soils. Many times the typically ignorant highway administrations plant such species along the roads and bridge hillsides that become invasive. This has become an invasive species in many parts of the Pacific Northwest and some spots in the Southeast.
#SCOTCH BROOM FULL#
It can grow under a wide variety of conditions, but prefers well draining soil and full sun. It bears small blackish-brown, woody pea-like pods containing the hard brown legume seeds that are viable for decades in the soil. Scotch broom is a perennial shrub that reaches 3-12 feet in height. This plant loses its small leaves in fall but its stems stay green all winter to do some photosynthesizing. Most conventional nurseries sell some in the Philadelphia, PA region, especially when in flower in late spring, with flowers being pea-like and usually yellow for the species with some cultivars showing a bronze-red, pink, white, or a bicolor of such. Scotch Broom is one of those shrubs, a barely woody one, that can become a rather ugly plant if not properly pruned. Unfortunately, so many people evaluate shrubs only by a nice blooming time that usually lasts about 2 weeks for most species, as with Forsythia, and neglect to check out how the plant looks the rest of the time, which can be pretty or ugly.
Yellow flowers, which bloom from May-June are 3/4 long and pea.
Other info: soak the seeds in warm water until they swallow Scotch broom is a deciduous shrub that grows to a height of up to 10’ and nearly as wide. Seeds can remain viable in the soil for 20 years. It was introduced into North America during the 1850s as an. Mature shrubs can produce 10,000 or more seeds per year. Scotch Broom is native to central and southern Europe and North Africa (Graves et al. When ripe, pods pop and eject seeds several yards away. Other: 1 to 2 inch flat green pod matures to brownish black in autumn. General Plant Information ( Edit) Plant Habit: