Common broom
Cytisus scoparius
ShrubPlacenta
Fast biomassNitrogen fixer
A short-lived pioneer that fixes nitrogen and colonises poor, bare ground fast — a great early soil-builder, but invasive and fire-prone outside its native range.
Tolerances & traits
- Strata
- Shrub
- Lifecycle
- Placenta
- Soil preference
- Sandy, Rocky
- Soil pH range
- 4.5 – 7
- Min. temperature
- -20°C
- Min. rainfall
- 400 mm/year
- Wind tolerance
- Medium
- Frost tolerance
- High
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Irrigation needed
- Low
How to manage it
Fast nitrogen-fixing pioneer for poor, acid soils; chop after flowering for mulch and to limit seed set before it goes woody.
Watch out for
Seeds and foliage are toxic to livestock; very flammable when dry; classed as highly invasive in North America, Australia and New Zealand — check local regulations before planting.
Design your line to see how your land fits Common broom.
Start designing your line →Related species