Its stems are green and woody, five-ribbed and hairless. Broom seedlings don’t survive where there is other grassland doing well, and if taller trees become established it will get rid of broom by shading it out.Ĭommon broom is a leguminous (part of the pea family), branched shrub up to 2.5m tall with bright yellow flowers. In the areas that do have broom, the amount found depends on how many animals are feeding off that land. Thankfully large areas of Central Otago and the Queenstown Lakes are mostly clear of broom. It may also land on stock, usually sheep, or in water and travel much further, which is why it can spread over long distances.īroom will grow anywhere in Otago. The seed can produce a new plant for over 50 years in soil and gravel. Its seedpods explode during summer, sending the seed up to 5m from the parent plant. Where there aren’t enough animals feeding to keep this plant at low levels, broom can start thick bushes that can block light from most other herbaceous species and destroy grassland.īroom spreads very easily. Broom is mostly a threat to rural land, stopping stock from grazing but it can also cause problems for our biodiversity. It spreads quickly, survives up to 1500m above sea-level and grows almost anywhere. We wouldn’t recommend cleaning your floor with this kind of broom. Due to there being little competition, they soon spread from these original plantings and began invading the landscape.īroom is only considered a pest in our gorse and broom-free areas and rural-zoned properties. Gorse and broom were brought to New Zealand by settlers from Europe in the 1800s for use as hedge plants. Common name: Broom (used for common and montpellier)īotanical name: Cytisus scoparius (common), Teline monspessulana (Montpellier broom)
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