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French broom

dyer's broom, dyer's greenweed, woadwaxen, woodwaxen

Habit Shrubs 1.5–3 m. Stems sericeous, hairs silvery. Shrubs prostrate to erect, 0.5–2 m. Stems much branched from base, glabrous or sparsely and irregularly hairy.
Leaves

petiolate;

stipules deciduous, 0.5–2 mm;

petiole 1–5 mm;

leaflets 3, blades oblanceolate to obovate, 10–15 mm, base cuneate, margins ciliolate, apex obtuse and mucronate, surfaces sericeous abaxially, glabrous adaxially.

sessile or subsessile;

stipules 0.8–1.5 mm;

petiole less than 1 mm;

leaflet 1, blade broadly elliptic, lanceolate, or oblanceolate to obovate, 5–50 mm, base rounded, margins sparsely ciliolate, apex aristulate, surfaces glabrous or sparsely pubescent along margins and midvein.

Inflorescences

4–10-flowered, axillary, clustered on short shoots, dense, 15–60 mm;

bracts caducous, narrowly linear, 2–3 mm.

1–6-flowered, terminal, simple or compound racemes (30–)40–60(–80) mm;

bracts foliaceous, 6–9 mm.

Pedicels

1–3 mm.

1–2 mm.

Flowers

calyx 5–7 mm, sericeous;

banner ovate, 10–15 mm, glabrous;

wings and keel slightly shorter than banner, wings glabrous, keel tomentose abaxially and distally.

calyx 3–7 mm, glabrous or glabrate to densely pubescent;

banner broadly ovate, 8–12 mm, glabrous;

wings and keel equaling banner, glabrous.

Legumes

oblong, 15–25 mm, densely sericeous.

narrowly oblong, 15–25 mm, glabrous.

Seeds

(3–)5–7(–10), tan to dark brown, ovoid, 1–1.3 mm;

hilum greenish yellow.

4–10, yellow-tan, cordate, 1–1.3 mm.

2n

= 44, 46, 48.

= 48, 96.

Genista monspessulana

Genista tinctoria

Phenology Flowering Feb–Aug. Flowering Mar–Aug.
Habitat Grasslands, oak woodlands, coastal scrub, chaparral, conifer and mixed evergreen forests, mostly in disturbed areas. Recently disturbed areas.
Elevation 0–900 m. (0–3000 ft.) 0–1500 m. (0–4900 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR; BC; s Europe; w Asia; n Africa; Atlantic Islands (Azores, Canary Islands) [Introduced in North America; introduced also in South America (Argentina, Chile, Uruguay)]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CT; DC; ID; MA; MD; ME; MI; MS; NJ; NY; OH; RI; VA; VT; WA; WI; BC; NS; ON; QC; Europe; intro­duced also in South America (Argentina); Asia (China) [Introduced in North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

The flowers and possibly other parts of Genista monspessulana have been reported as toxic. The species apparently hybridizes with G. canariensis and G. stenopetala Webb & Berthelot. Genista stenopetala was previously reported from California; it now appears that the only known specimens of the species were cultivated and that many specimens previously annotated to this name were hybrids with G. monspessulana. The hybrid is found in Oregon.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Genista tinctoria is the most widely distributed and variable taxon in the genus. Two characters that seem to show the most variation are the presence or absence of indument on the leaves, calyx, and fruit and the growth form, with prostrate plants having inflorescences consisting of few-flowered racemes and more erect plants having compound or paniculate racemes. Local and regional floras in the areas to which these plants are endemic often recognize varieties; however, there seems to be no good geographic or genetic basis for doing so.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 11. FNA vol. 11.
Parent taxa Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Genista Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Genista
Sibling taxa
G. canariensis, G. linifolia, G. maderensis, G. tinctoria
G. canariensis, G. linifolia, G. maderensis, G. monspessulana
Synonyms Cytisus monspessulanus, Teline monspessulana
Name authority (Linnaeus) L. A. S. Johnson: Contr. New South Wales Natl. Herb. 3: 98. (1962) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 710. (1753)
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