Chamaecytisus hirsutus

Chamaecytisus hirsutus, the hairy broom or hairy cytisus, is a low to medium-sized deciduous shrub of the Fabaceae native to central and southeastern Europe, the Balkans, and parts of western Asia. Plants are typically 30 to 100 cm tall with arching, hairy branches arising from a woody base. The leaves are alternate and trifoliate, with obovate to elliptic leaflets densely clothed in long, soft, silvery hairs on both surfaces—giving the species its specific epithet. Yellow papilionaceous flowers, often marked with reddish or brownish blotches on the standard, are borne singly or in small clusters in the axils of upper leaves, typically appearing in late spring. The fruit is a hairy, flattened legume containing several small, dark seeds. It grows in open woodlands, rocky slopes, scrub, and dry meadows, often on calcareous or sandy soils.