Botanical name:                  Cytisus scoparius

Family:                                   Leguminosae

Common Name:                   Common Broom

Habitat and Distribution:

A native of Britain, W. Europe and N. Africa in open woods, on heaths, hills and river banks They do best in full sun in neutral or acid soils, or deep soils over chalk, including stiff clay-loam.

Description:

A small deciduous shrub, 1.5-2 metres (4-6 ft) tall. The shape is rounded to irregular with arching slender green branches. 

The leaf arrangement is alternate small trifoliate leaves where the upper leaves have often only one leaflet. The colour is medium to bright green.

The green stems are angled and flexible and more conspicuous than the foliage

It blooms in May with profuse and very showy vivid yellow pea-like flowers. The flowers are followed by green pea-like pods 4-5 cm (1.5-2 in) long which turn black when ripe and open explosively in hot sun scattering small black seeds

The stems are green year-round; very old stems are grey-brown.

Timber:

Only tiny pieces of timber are produced

Uses:

The small pieces of timber are used mainly for marquetry.

 

Location within the arboretum:

A number specimens can be found towards the eastern side of the old entrance gate area, just to the north of the grass maze.

Furniture Makers Trees at The Arboretum - Kew at Castle Howard

 

Shrub in September

Ripening pods

Dry pod in December

Leaf detail

May - smothered in flowers

Details of flowers, the silver hairs on the new fruit pods can be seen.

May 2005, Magnolia ‘Elizabeth’ flowering in the background

Leaves in September