Spanish Broom

Spartium junceum, Spanish broom, rush broom or weaver's broom, is the only species in the genus Spartium, in the pea family, Fabaceae. It is a vigorous, deciduous shrub with thick, grey-green, rush-like shoots and very small leaves that fall early, so that the green shoots do most of the photosynthesis. In late spring and summer the shoots are covered in fragrant yellow pea-like flowers, and in late summer black pods split open with an audible crack. It is native to the Mediterranean in southern Europe, south-west Asia and north-west Africa, on sunny, dry, sandy sites, and is a noxious invasive plant in several places with a Mediterranean climate. The shoots have been used for fibre and cloth, the branches for brooms, the plant for a yellow dye and an essential oil called genet absolute. In Turkey the flowers have been used in traditional medicine to treat ulcers. The page says the alkaloids in all parts of the plant are toxic.