Retama
Retama sphaerocarpa
ShrubPlacenta
Nitrogen fixer
A tough desert broom that fixes nitrogen and shades bare Iberian steppe with almost no water — a slow but steady nurse plant for harsher, drier lines.
Tolerances & traits
- Strata
- Shrub
- Lifecycle
- Placenta
- Soil preference
- Sandy, Rocky
- Soil pH range
- 6 – 8.5
- Min. temperature
- -10°C
- Min. rainfall
- 200 mm/year
- Wind tolerance
- High
- Frost tolerance
- Medium
- Growth rate
- Medium
- Irrigation needed
- Low
How to manage it
Deep-rooted nitrogen-fixing pioneer for arid, degraded ground; its sparse green stems give light shade for nurse-planting longer-lived species.
Watch out for
Corrected common name from 'Yellow broom' (that's Cytisus) to Retama. Seeds contain toxic alkaloids; dry stems are highly flammable; listed as invasive/noxious outside its native range (e.g. California, Australia).
Design your line to see how your land fits Retama.
Start designing your line →Related species