Cytisus striatus

Cytisus striatus
hairy pods
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Fabales
Family:	Fabaceae
Genus:	Cytisus
Species:	C. striatus
Binomial name
Cytisus striatus (Hill) Rothm.

Cytisus striatus is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common name Portuguese broom. This plant is native to the Iberian Peninsula.

Description

This is a tall shrub often exceeding two meters-six feet in height. It is highly branched and sprawling. The sparse leaves are made up of small leaflets about a centimeter long each. The shrub bears yellow legume flowers and the pods are covered in white hairs.

This shrub is similar to its relative, Cytisus scoparius, but it can be distinguished by the paler shade of yellow of its flowers and by the hairy coat on its pods.

Invasive plant species

It is also known in other parts of the world as an introduced species. It was introduced to California in the 1960s as an erosion-controlling plant, but it 'escaped' and spread to become a major noxious weed, an invasive species colonizing in many habitats there. It is also caused ecological damages in Oregon.

This plant, beyond its native range, causes problems in many ways, including displacement of native species causing ecosystem degradation and loss, removing native plant food sources for wildlife, and a susceptibility to wildfire ignition and spread.

External links

• Jepson Manual Treatment
• USDA Plants Profile
• Noxious Weed IVM Guide - Brooms
• University of California Weed Report