Cytisus multiflorus

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Cytisus multiflorus
Cytisus multiflorus.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Genus: Cytisus
Species:
C. multiflorus
Binomial name
Cytisus multiflorus
Synonyms [2]
List
    • Cytisus albus(Lam.) Link
    • Cytisus lusitanicusWillk.
    • Genista albaLam.
    • Genista madagascariensisBaker
    • Spartium multiflorumL'Her.

Cytisus multiflorus is a species of legume known by the common names white broom, [3] white spanishbroom [4] and Portuguese broom. [5]

Contents

Distribution

It is native to the Iberian Peninsula, especially frequent in the western half in central and northern interior Portugal [6] and central and northern western Spain. [7] It is better known as an introduced species on other continents, including Australia and North America, where it has become a weed in agricultural land and an invasive species in natural habitats.

Description

Cytisus multiflorus is a shrub growing up to 0.8 metres (2 ft 7 in) or 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) in sprawling height, [7] with a broomlike array of many five-angled flexible branches. Leaves appear mainly on lower branches, each made up of three leaflets. Some leaves grow on the upper branches; these are generally made up of a single leaflet. Each leaflet is under a centimeter long and may be linear to oblong in shape and coated in soft silvery hairs.

The white, pea-like flower is up to a centimeter long and is often marked with a dark pinkish streak near the base. The fruit is a hairy legume pod up to 3 centimetres (1.2 in) long. The pods turn black with age and dehisce explosively to release their four to six seeds away from the parent plant.

Invasive species

This plant is a serious noxious weed of agricultural fields and a colonizing invasive plant in wild lands in parts of Australia and California, [8] where it was first introduced as an ornamental shrub for its prolific white flowers. It is still sometimes grown and sold for landscaping purposes despite its status as a pest plant, with new industry and public education programs resulting. [9] [10]

Related Research Articles

<i>Cytisus scoparius</i> Ornamental, invasive broom shrub

Cytisus scoparius, the common broom or Scotch broom, is a deciduous leguminous shrub native to western and central Europe. In Britain and Ireland, the standard name is broom; this name is also used for other members of the Genisteae tribe, such as French broom or Spanish broom; and the term common broom is sometimes used for clarification. In other English-speaking countries, the most common name is "Scotch broom" ; however, it is known as English broom in Australia.

<i>Asphodelus fistulosus</i> Species of flowering plant

Asphodelus fistulosus is a species of plant known as hollow-stemmed asphodel, onionweed, onion-leafed asphodel, and pink asphodel. It is native to the Mediterranean region. It is an invasive exotic weed in the United States, with significant infestations in California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. It is listed as a Federal Noxious Weed by the United States Department of Agriculture. It is also a common weed in parts of Australia, New Zealand, and Mexico, and it thrives in any area with a Mediterranean climate.

<i>Genista monspessulana</i> Species of flowering plant in the pea and bean family Fabaceae

Genista monspessulana, commonly known as French broom, Montpellier broom or Cape broom (Australia), is a woody leguminous perennial shrub. The yellow-flowering bush is native to the Mediterranean region, and while it may still be commonly sold in some garden stores, it is considered an invasive plant in most places where it has been introduced. It is a noxious weed on the western coast of the US and in parts of Australia.

<i>Halimodendron</i> Genus of legumes

Halimodendron is a monotypic genus of legume containing the single species Halimodendron halodendron, which is known by several common names, including common salt tree and Russian salt tree. It is closely related to the genus Caragana. It is native to Russia and southern Asia, but it can be found on other continents where it is an introduced species, and one that is often a noxious weed. This is a deciduous spiny shrub sprawling to a few meters in maximum width and up to three meters tall. Stems branch from the base and bear clusters of about four leaflets on sharp spurs. The ends of branches narrow to spines. Flowers also appear at the ends of spurs in clusters of two to four pink pealike blossoms each one to two centimeters wide. The fruit is a black woody inflated pod about 2 centimeters long containing legume seeds. The plant has a deep and wide root system, with the lateral roots sending up new shoots. In this manner the plant forms extensive thickets. When introduced to an area of suitable climate, such as California where it is a known weed, it can invade cultivated land and spread relatively quickly. It is tolerant of saline soils.

<i>Cytisus striatus</i> Species of legume

Cytisus striatus is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common names hairy-fruited broom, Portuguese broom, French broom and Spanish broom. This plant is native to the Iberian Peninsula.

<i>Genista canariensis</i> Species of flowering plant in the pea and bean family Fabaceae

Genista canariensis is a species of flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae, known by the common names Canary broom, Canary Islands broom or florist's genista. It is native to the Canary Islands, but it grows as an introduced species in mainland Europe, especially Spain, and on other continents. It has been introduced to California and Washington State in the US. This is a vigorous upright evergreen shrub growing to 3 m (9.8 ft) tall by 1.5 m (4.9 ft) broad, with hairy green stems. The leaves are made up of oval-shaped blue-green leaflets each up to a centimeter long and densely hairy on the undersides. The raceme inflorescence holds up to 20 bright yellow pea-like flowers. The fruit is a legume pod one to two centimeters long containing several dark brown seeds.

<i>Genista linifolia</i> Species of flowering plant in the pea and bean family Fabaceae

Genista linifolia is a species of broom known by the common names Mediterranean broom, needle-leaved broom and flax broom. It is native to southwestern Europe, North Africa, and the Canary Islands.

<i>Erica lusitanica</i> Species of flowering plant

Erica lusitanica is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae, known by the common names Portuguese heath and Spanish heath. It is native to Portugal, Spain and southwestern France. It is named for Lusitania, a historical region encompassing most of modern Portugal and parts of western Spain.

<i>Lathyrus cicera</i> Species of legume

Lathyrus cicera is a species of wild pea known by the common names red pea, red vetchling and flatpod peavine. It is native to Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, and it is known from other places as an introduced species. This is a hairless annual herb producing a slightly winged stem. The leaves are each made up of two leaflike linear leaflets 3 to 6 centimeters long. They also bear branched, curling tendrils. The inflorescence holds a single pea flower 1 to 1.5 centimeters wide which is a varying shade of red. The fruit is a hairless dehiscent legume pod.

<i>Lathyrus hirsutus</i> Species of plant

Lathyrus hirsutus is a species of wild pea known by several common names, including Caley pea, singletary pea, hairy vetchling, and Austrian winter pea. It is native to Europe, North Africa, and much of Asia, and it is known from other continents, including North America, as an introduced species. This is an annual herb producing a winged stem and leaves each made up of two leaflike leaflets with a branching, coiled tendril. The inflorescence holds one or two pink, blue, or bicolored pea flowers each 1 to 1.5 centimeters wide. The fruit is a dehiscent legume pod covered in hairs with each hair growing from a minute bulbous base. The rest of the plant is generally hairless.

<i>Atriplex suberecta</i> Species of plant

Atriplex suberecta is a species of saltbush known by the common names sprawling saltbush, lagoon saltbush and Australian orache. It is native to Australia.

Acmispon junceus, synonyms Lotus junceus and Syrmatium junceum, is a species of legume native to California. It is known by the common names rush broom and rush deervetch. It is endemic to California, where it is known from the northern and central coast and the coastal mountain ranges. It can be found from beaches inland to serpentine slopes and chaparral. It is a hairy, prostrate or spreading perennial herb lined with leaves each made up of small oval leaflets. The inflorescence bears up 8 yellow pealike flowers each up to about a centimeter long. The fruit is a small beaked legume pod.

<i>Prosopis strombulifera</i> Species of legume

Prosopis strombulifera is a species of mesquite or algarrobo, a shrub in the legume family. It is known by the English common names Argentine screwbean and creeping screwbean and the Spanish common name retortuño. This shrub is native to Argentina, where it grows in arid and saline soils. It became well known in California after it was introduced to Imperial County and took hold in the wild, growing as an invasive noxious weed. The plant grows from a network of long, spreading roots and may grow to three meters in height. Many plants may grow together in an area, forming a monotypic stand. The shrub has waxy-textured leaves made up of a pair of leaflets which are each divided into several pairs of secondary leaflets each up to a centimeter long. Whitish spines up to 2 cm long appear near the leaf bases. The inflorescence is a spherical head of many very narrow tubelike yellow flowers, the head measuring about 1.5 cm wide. The fruit is a bright yellow seed pod coiled tightly into a cylindrical stick up to 5 cm long. It contains several greenish seeds, each about 0.5 cm long.

<i>Psorothamnus arborescens</i> Species of legume

Psorothamnus arborescens is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common name Mojave indigo bush.

<i>Psorothamnus schottii</i> Species of legume

Psorothamnus schottii is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common name Schott's dalea. It is native to the Sonoran Deserts of northern Mexico and adjacent sections of Arizona and the Colorado Desert in California.

<i>Senna multiglandulosa</i> Species of legume

Senna multiglandulosa is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known by several common names, including glandular senna, downy senna, and buttercup bush. It is native to Mexico, Guatemala, and western parts of South America, but it is widely cultivated as an ornamental plant and in some areas of the world has become naturalized in the wild. In some places it is considered a weed, for example, in New Zealand and New South Wales.

<i>Vicia benghalensis</i> Species of legume

Vicia benghalensis is a species of vetch known by the common names purple vetch and reddish tufted vetch. It is native to southern Europe, North Africa, and nearby islands, and it is utilized elsewhere in agriculture and may be present in the wild as an introduced species. It is an annual herb with a climbing stem which is coated in hairs, often densely, making the plant appear silvery white. Each leaf is made up of several pairs of elongated leaflets which measure up to 3 centimeters in length. The inflorescence is a one-side raceme of several dark reddish purple flowers. Each flower has a densely hairy calyx of sepals and a tubular corolla between one and two centimeters in length. The fruit is a flat, hairy legume pod up to 3.5 centimeters long containing multiple seeds.

<i>Vicia pannonica</i> Species of legume

Vicia pannonica is a species of vetch known by the common name Hungarian vetch. It is native to southern, central Europe and western Asia, and it is sometimes cultivated as an agricultural crop for use as hay and fodder. It may escape cultivation and grow as a casual roadside weed.

<i>Alysicarpus vaginalis</i> Species of flowering plant in the legume family

Alysicarpus vaginalis is a species of flowering plant in the legume family, Fabaceae. It is native to parts of Africa and Asia, and it has been introduced to other continents, such as Australia and the Americas. It is cultivated as a fodder for livestock, for erosion control, and as a green manure. Common names include alyce clover, buffalo clover, buffalo-bur, one-leaf clover, and white moneywort.

Genisteae Tribe of legumes

Genisteae is a tribe of trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants in the subfamily Faboideae of the family Fabaceae. It includes a number of well-known plants including broom, lupine (lupin), gorse and laburnum.

References

  1. Rivers, M.C. (2017). "Cytisus multiflorus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2017: e.T83750589A86135941. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T83750589A86135941.en . Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species" . Retrieved 3 April 2014.
  3. BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
  4. "Cytisus multiflorues". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA . Retrieved 17 January 2016.
  5. "Cytisus multiflorus (L'Her.) Sweet". Catalogue of Life . Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  6. "Cytisus multiflorus (L'Hér.) Sweet". Flora-On . Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  7. 1 2 "Cytisus multiflorus" (PDF). Flora Iberica . Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  8. Jepson
  9. "Weeds in Australia" (PDF). Australian Weed Management. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 February 2011. Retrieved 24 November 2010.
  10. "What are invasive species and why are they a problem?". Calif. Invasive Species Program. Retrieved 24 November 2010.