Cytisus multiflorus
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| Species: | C. multiflorus
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| Cytisus multiflorus | |
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Cytisus multiflorus is a species of legume known by the common names white broom[2] and white spanishbroom.[3]
Distribution
It is native to the Iberian Peninsula. 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 3 metres (9.8 ft) or 4 metres (13 ft) in sprawling height, 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,[4] 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.[5][6]
References
- ^ "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species". Retrieved 3 April 2014.
- ^ "BSBI List 2007". Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 25 January 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
- ^ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Cytisus multiflorues". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
- ^ Jepson
- ^ "Weeds in Australia" (PDF). Australian Weed Management. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 February 2011. Retrieved 24 November 2010.
- ^ "What are invasive species and why are they a problem?". Calif. Invasive Species Program. Retrieved 24 November 2010.
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