Montpellier broom
Genista monspessulana
family
Fabaceae
origin
Exotic
declaration
Category 3 Restricted Matter (Biosecurity Act 2014)
Must not be distributed or disposed. This means it must not be released into the environment unless the distribution or disposal is authorised in a regulation or under a permit.
Common names
Broom, Canary broom, Cape broom, Common broom, French broom, Madeira broom, Montpellier broom, Soft broom.
Usually evergreen shrub to 2.5 m tall with round, ribbed and softly hairy twigs, and ridged, woody, grey-brown stems. Leaves arranged alternately on stems, divided into three, with each leaflet (7-20 x 4-10 mm) usually hairy. Yellow to golden-yellow pea-like flowers (9-13 mm long) appear from May to November and are followed by oblong, densely hairy seed pods (18-20 mm long) containing 3-6 round, flattened, green to black seeds (2.5 mm diameter).
Impact
Impact
This species invades a wide variety of natural habitats including forest margins, dry coastal vegetation, heathlands, heathy woodlands, grasslands, grassy woodlands, open woodlands, damp sclerophyll forests, riparian vegetation and rock outcrop vegetation. Infestations shade and out-compete smaller shrubs and groundcover species, eventually replacing them and severely impeding the regeneration of overstorey plants. Such infestations are likely to have a major impact on the food sources of native fauna as well as reducing plant biodiversity. Because this species also fixes nitrogen, it increase soil fertility and often encourages other weeds to invade. Dense infestations can also increase the frequency and intensity of fires in invaded habitats, and such fires promote the germination of its seeds from a large and long-lived soil seed bank.
Location
Location
Characteristics
Characteristics
Similar Species
Similar Species
This species invades a wide variety of natural habitats including forest margins, dry coastal vegetation, heathlands, heathy woodlands, grasslands, grassy woodlands, open woodlands, damp sclerophyll forests, riparian vegetation and rock outcrop vegetation. Infestations shade and out-compete smaller shrubs and groundcover species, eventually replacing them and severely impeding the regeneration of overstorey plants. Such infestations are likely to have a major impact on the food sources of native fauna as well as reducing plant biodiversity. Because this species also fixes nitrogen, it increase soil fertility and often encourages other weeds to invade. Dense infestations can also increase the frequency and intensity of fires in invaded habitats, and such fires promote the germination of its seeds from a large and long-lived soil seed bank.
