Cytisus striatus is a species of flowering plant in the Fabaceae known by the common names hairy-fruited broom
Description
This is a tall shrub often exceeding in height. It is highly branched and sprawling. The sparse leaves are made up of small leaflets about a centimeter long each. The shrub bears yellow legume flowers and the pods are covered in white hairs.
This shrub is similar to its relative, Cytisus scoparius, but it can be distinguished by the paler shade of yellow of its flowers and by the hairy coat on its pods.
The sead of this plant can be spread by ants.
Invasive plant species
It is also known in other parts of the world as an introduced species. It was introduced to
California in the 1960s as an erosion-controlling plant, but it 'escaped' and spread to become a major
noxious weed, an
invasive species colonizing in many
there. It is also caused ecological damages in
Oregon.
This plant, beyond its native range, causes problems in many ways, including displacement of native species causing
ecosystem degradation and loss, removing
native plant food sources for wildlife, and a susceptibility to wildfire ignition and spread.
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