Spanish Broom, is a deciduous, flowering, perennial, shrub, multi-stemmed and sparsely-leaved, growing to 10 feet in height and width. Often grown as an ornamental because of its flowers, it is winter hardy and can be grown in average, dry to medium, well-drained soils in full sun. It cannot grow in the shade. It has good drought tolerance as well as a tolerance for seaside exposure and can grow in poor rocky soils where it has been applied as a riverbank cover. Spanish Broom is typically found in dry areas, open woodlands, disturbed sites, and along roads in the Mediterranean area. It is primarily grown for its bright yellow flowers and cylindrical green stems with flowers appearing in showy racemes. When the leaves fall away In late spring, summer shoots are covered in profuse fragrant yellow pea-like flowers. In late summer, seed pods mature and burst open, often with an audible crack, spreading seed from the parent plant. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No known insect or disease problems. It is aggressive due to self-seeding and has been known to escape gardens and naturalize.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
Clay; High Organic Matter; Loam (Silt); Shallow Rocky
Soil drainage
Moist | Occasionally Dry
NC region
Coastal
Mature size
Height: 5 ft. 0 in. - 10 ft. 0 in. | Width: 5 ft. 0 in. - 10 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
High; Medium
Canopy layer
3 - Shrub (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Broad; Erect; Multi-stemmed; Rounded
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf shape
Lanceolate; Linear
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf size
< 1 inch long
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Sparse, entire leaves, long slender green branchlets. Leaves to 1 inch long are bright green, small in size, quite sparse in number and ephemeral (each leaf lasts about 4 months).
Flower color
Gold/Yellow
Flower value
Fragrant; Showy
Flower form
Raceme
Flower shape
Radial
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Fragrant bright yellow flowers that bloom from July to frost are borne in loose terminal racemes. Flowers to 1 inch long are pea-shaped and bloom from July to frost.
Bloom time
Fall; Summer
Fruit color
Black
Fruit type
Legume
Fruit value
Showy
Fruit size
1-3 inches long
Fruit detail
Flowers are followed by flat seed pods (each to 3 inches long).
Stem color
Green
Stem detail
Young stems are rush-like, bright green and basically leafless. Older stems will develop a woody bark. Stems branch at the top. Considerable photosynthesis occurs in the young green stems.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Southwestern Europe, Mediterranean, and the Azores.
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Winter
Fruit type
Legume
Uses (ethnobotany)
Has been used as a potent diuretic. Should be used with caution since large doses are likely to upset the stomach and cause purging.