1. Compound leaves, with3 thin clover-like leaflets.
2. Yellow-red, irregular-shaped flowers with 5 petals.
3. Scotchbroom is a shrub, between 2 to 6 feet in height.
4. Pods are like those of pea pods, but long, thin & hairy. The pods explode on hot days when the seeds are ripe to aid distribution of seeds.
5. Branches are stiff, angled in cross-section.
1. Leaves and pods are poisonous.
2. Branches were used in Scotland as simple brooms.
3. Cultivated locally as a garden plant.
4. Scotch broom easily escapes cultivation to become a pesky weed which easily spreads through disturbed areas. It should be pulled wherever one finds it to prevent its spread!