#Perennial broom plant skin

It has been reported on the Gulf Islands as far north as Cortes, Hernando, Savary and Texada Islands. Since being introduced to BC., broom has spread from the Sooke area up the east side of Vancouver Island. Mature plants can produce upwards of 3,500 seed pods, which each produce 15-20 seeds that can remain viable for up to 30 years. Once introduced, this invasive species grows in dense patches, further choking out native species. Today, it is found throughout much of the southern BC mainland, Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. It is also noxious to humans and animals if ingested. The plant's photosynthetic stems allow it to grow year-round, thereby out-competing other native species, including Douglas-fir and Garry oak. Broom has a deep root and a waxy covering on its branches and small leaves. The flowers appear in early spring and develop into pods by summer. How is it identified?īroom is a dark green deciduous shrub up to three metres tall, with small leaves and yellow or occasionally white flowers, having with a purple or brownish tinge. Scotch broom was also used for many years as a means of preventing soil erosion along roadsides. Once the packing material was discarded, this allowed the spread of the plant even further.

Introduced as an ornamental plant in the mid-19th century, it is now the poster child of invasive species in British Columbia.Īccording to the BC Invasive Species Council, it would seem Scotch broom was also used to pack whiskey cases for gold camps along the west coast.

#Perennial broom plant skin

It is used by desert Bedouin as medicine for treatment of backache, stomachache, infertility, temporary paralysis of the limbs, joint pain, infected skin lesions, toothache, sprains and fractures.Scotch broom is a perennial shrub originally from Europe. The shrub is also common in ornamental gardens. Its global distribution extends over the deserts of North Africa and South Asia. It grows especially in lithified desert and seashore dunes in regions of migrating and stabilized dunes in the coastal plain and the lowland and also (perhaps a different variety) on rocky slopes in the desert on rocks and roadsides in the Golan Heights, Mount Carmel and Eastern Samaria. Retama raetam is common in most regions of Israel, except for the mountains of the north and center. Seeds that remained in legumens will germinate when the legumen shell rots and the seed absorbs water. The action of the digestive juices on the hard coat of the seeds facilitates their germination. The seeds are not digested and are excreted in the droppings. The legumens are eaten mainly by rabbits. The seed is yellow, with a very hard coat. It is glabrous, and does not open when ripe. The fruit is a short single-seed legumen, ovate, with an acute apex. Each flower is attached to a stem via a short pedicel. The scent of the flower attracts insects, especially bees. The filaments of the stamen are fused into a duct, and disperse their pollen by a method called “explosion pollination”. The standard is prominent, with purple veins, and a length of 12 mm and width of 10 mm. The corolla is typical of the Fabaceae family, and is bright white. The lower lip is somewhat elongated and has three teeth.

There are two teeth on the upper lip of the calyx. The calyx has two lips, is dark purple, and sometimes there are spots of a similar color also on the corolla. Retama raetam blooms between January and April.

The stomata are hidden within the longitudinal grooves of the stem, such that water loss during photosynthesis is reduced. They fall a short time after sprouting, and the tree plant remains leafless for most of the year, with photosynthetic activity taking place in the thin stems. The leaves are simple, narrow and elongated, with a length of 10 mm. Its roots penetrate the soil to a great depth (some claim up to 20 meters), and they reach water even after the upper soil layers have dried. They are grooved with delicate longitudinal grooves which contain the stomata. It has thin and flexible branches, which are silvery green when young and dark green when mature. The plant is covered with dense silk hairs (hirsute). It is impressive mainly due to its opulent blossoming. White Broom is a perennial shrub, which reaches a height of up to 3 meters.