How do you recognise Spanish broom (Spartium junceum)?

Leaf

Bernard Andrieu, Tela Botanica · CC BY-SA 2.0

Spanish broom

Spartium junceum L.

Also known as: Weaver's broom

Family: Fabaceae

1 to 3 m tall

Dry hillsides and banks of southern France, widely planted

Flowering: May – July

Full sun

Not very hardy, to -12°C

❓ How do you recognise this plant?

Cylindrical, rush-like stems, almost leafless — the plant photosynthesises through its stems. Both have green stems and bright yellow flowers, but Spanish broom has round, smooth, almost rush-like stems, whereas common broom has angular stems with 5 ridges clearly noticeable to the touch; common broom also flowers earlier, in spring.

🍃 Leaves

Few, tiny, quickly deciduous — photosynthesis takes place mainly through the stems

🌸 Flowers

Large, very fragrant bright yellow flowers, butterfly-shaped

🍎 Fruits

Long flat pods hairy along the edges

🪵 Bark

Green, cylindrical, rush-like, flexible stems

🗺️ Distribution

Western Mediterranean; common in garrigue in southern France, also widely planted along roadsides.

🐝 Value for pollinators

Very fragrant, nectar-bearing yellow flowers in summer, much visited by bees.

✂️ Horticultural uses

Planted on banks and roadsides for its prolonged summer flowering and its drought resistance.

⚠️ Possible toxicity

Seeds toxic if eaten (alkaloids), as in other brooms.

⚠️ Look-alike species

Spanish broom

Spartium junceum

Common broom

Cytisus scoparius

Both have green stems and bright yellow flowers, but Spanish broom has round, smooth, almost rush-like stems, whereas common broom has angular stems with 5 ridges clearly noticeable to the touch; common broom also flowers earlier, in spring.

Spanish broom

Spartium junceum

Dyer's greenweed

Genista tinctoria

Spanish broom is a large shrub (up to 3 m), almost leafless, with round, rush-like green stems and very fragrant flowers, whereas dyer's greenweed stays low (rarely more than 1 m) and keeps small, clearly visible leaves.

🌿 Other Fabaceae to discover

Styphnolobium japonicum

ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.

🌱 This database is constantly evolving — species and information are added and corrected regularly. Spotted a mistake? Report it below.