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Cytisus scoparius
Also called Common Broom, Scotch Broom, English Broom, Scottish Broom, Broomtops, European Broom, Irish Broom
Common broom is a deciduous shrub native to western and central Europe, grown for its profuse golden yellow spring flowers. It is a widely planted ornamental, though it is invasive in parts of North and South America, and it thrives in sunny, dry, sandy, acidic sites.
Cytisus scoparius (syn. Sarothamnus scoparius), the common broom or Scotch broom, is a deciduous leguminous shrub native to western and central Europe. In Great 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" (or Scots broom); however, it is known as English broom in Australia.
Though this plant is native to Europe, it has spread to many other parts of the world with human introduction. Scotch broom is now common in certain areas of North America and South America, and is considered an invasive species. In North America, Scotch broom was frequently planted in gardens, and was later used for erosion control along highway cuts and fills.
Cytisus scoparius is widely cultivated as an ornamental plant, with several cultivars selected for variation in flower colour, including "Moonlight" with deep yellow flowers, "Andreanus" and "Firefly" with dark orange-red flowers, and growth habit, including "Pendula" with pendulous branchlets.
Cytisus scoparius is native to western and central Europe, being common in Great Britain and Republic of Ireland. It is found in sunny sites, usually on dry, sandy soils at low altitudes, tolerating very acidic soil conditions.
Broom contains scoparin, which is a diuretic. The plant also is used as a cathartic and as a cardiac stimulant, which is credited to the presence of sparteine. A decoction or infusion of broom can be used to treat dropsy due to its diuretic action. An ointment can be made from the flowers to treat gout. Oxysparteine, produced from the action of acid on the sparteine, is useful as a cardiac stimulant and has the advantage over digoxin that it does not accumulate in the body. A medicinal beer was brewed from this herb, called broom ale, as a remedy for dropsy.
Chamaecytisus proliferus · Pyrenean Broom · Hairy-fruited Broom · Broom
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Cytisus scoparius by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
