Scotch Broom: Plague or Pleasing To the Eye?

by D. C. 

            Cytisus scoparius, scotch broom, may be pleasing to the eye but what you don’t know is that is classified as a “Class B Noxious Weed”. The plant is native to the British Isles and Central Europe. What makes this plant so noxious is its difficulty to eradicate it partially due to its long-lived seed bank. Also because it has such a strong and  It is also toxic to humans, horses, and other livestock, it replaces native and beneficial plants to the current ecosystem and changes the chemical composition of the soil. The reason this plant was brought here was to prevent soil erosion and it is found all down Washington, British Columbia, Oregon and California, you mainly see it next to highways or in big open fields where it can spread like wildfire. Speaking of wildfires, it is also a potential fire hazard to the grasslands and rangeland it occupies. Scotch broom can be identified as a large, yellow flowered shrub with often green like stems. The seedpods are black or brown and very flat. When the plant is fully matured it will disperse its seeds as much as twenty feet away. A single plant can produce over 10,000 seeds per year, these plants start producing seeds after three years and usually live about 17 years, but can survive 25 years. The seeds themselves can remain viable in soil from five to SIXTY years. This is NOT a plant you want anywhere around your house. As appealing as this plant is to the eye, it is a dangerous plant and a invasive species. This plant causes “$100 million in agricultural and forestry losses, an enormous price to pay for some pleasant yellow flowers.” It is undoubtedly pretty, but you should not plant it in fear of an outbreak or spread of it, it will take over your entire yard, or the whole side of a highway.