Flora of North America species comparison

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Retama

Retama monosperma

bridal broom, bridal veil broom

bridal broom
Habit Shrubs [trees], unarmed. Shrubs to 1–4 m. Leaves: stipules inconspicuous or caducous, 3–4 mm; leaflet blade linear-lanceolate to linear-subspatulate.
Stems

erect, ascending, or pendent, branched from base, slender, persistently gray-green, canescent, nearly leafless.

Leaves

alternate [subopposite], unifoliolate;

stipules present;

petiolate;

blade margins entire, surfaces sericeous.

Racemes

pendent, short.
Inflorescences

10–50(–80+)-flowered, axillary, racemes [clustered on short axillary shoots];

bracts present, caducous.

Flowers

papilionaceous, short-pedicellate;

calyx campanulate [turbinate or urceolate], 3–5 mm, bilabiate, lobes 5, glabrous or pubescent;

corolla white [yellow], glabrous or pubescent;

wings longer or shorter than keel;

stamens 10, monadelphous;

anthers basifixed, dimorphic;

ovary sessile;

style incurved, white to greenish yellow, glabrous.

calyx deep red, broadly campanulate, abaxial lip 3-lobed, middle lobe minutely fringed, adaxial lip 2-lobed;

petals clawed, banner rhombic-ovate or obovate, 10–12 mm, wings longer than banner, sparsely pubescent, keel narrowly oblong, shorter than banner.
Fruits

legumes, short-stipitate, obovoid, indehiscent or incompletely dehiscent along adaxial suture, not constricted between seeds, glabrous or glabrate.

Legumes

12–18 × 8–10 mm, with short, curved mucro.
Seeds

1[–3], ovoid to rounded.

black, strophiolate.
x

= 24.

2n

= 48.

Retama

Retama monosperma
Phenology Flowering Feb–Jun.
Habitat Coastal sage scrub, disturbed annual grasslands, alluvial fans on well drained granitic sandy-loam soils.
Elevation 0–200 m. (0–700 ft.)
Distribution
from USDA
sw Europe; n Africa; Atlantic Islands (Canary Islands) [Introduced, California; introduced also in w So]
from FNA
CA; Europe (Portugal, Spain); n Africa [Introduced in North America; introduced also in South America (Ecuador), Europe (Italy), Australia (Tasmania)]
Discussion

Species 3 (1 in the flora).

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

Retama monosperma is an invasive escape with populations established in Amador, Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Diego counties. The California Invasive Plants Council lists it as an alert species because it is invasive in other regions with similar climates. Retama monosperma is also an official State of California Noxious Weed (sect. 4500 Agricultural Code), not legal to be sold in the state (although planting is determined by each county). Each plant produces large numbers of seeds, which are dispersed by ants and birds.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 11. Author: Debra K. Trock. FNA vol. 11.
Parent taxa Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Retama
Subordinate taxa
R. monosperma
Synonyms Spartium monospermum, Genista monosperma
Name authority Rafinesque: Sylva Tellur., 22. (1838) — name conserved (Linnaeus) Boissier: Voy. Bot. Espagne 2(5): 144. (1840)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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