White broom
Retama monosperma
ShrubPlacenta
Nitrogen fixer
A fast, almost leafless coastal broom that fixes nitrogen and anchors loose sand - a scrappy pioneer nurse plant, but it's toxic and invasive, so treat it as strictly temporary.
Tolerances & traits
- Strata
- Shrub
- Lifecycle
- Placenta
- Soil preference
- Sandy, Rocky
- Soil pH range
- 6 – 9
- Min. temperature
- -6°C
- Min. rainfall
- 300 mm/year
- Wind tolerance
- High
- Frost tolerance
- Low
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Irrigation needed
- Low
How to manage it
Use as a short-lived coastal nurse and nitrogen-fixing pioneer on poor sand; cut back periodically but don't expect heavy mulch volume since stems are sparse and leafless.
Watch out for
Seeds and foliage are toxic to livestock and humans; classed as invasive on dunes and coastal scrub outside its native range (e.g. Australia, California) - avoid near wild coastal habitat and remove once canopy species establish.
Design your line to see how your land fits White broom.
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