Needle-leaf broom

Genista linifolia, commonly called needle-leaf broom or flax-leaved broom, is an evergreen shrub in the Fabaceae family, native to the western Mediterranean basin including the Iberian Peninsula, north-west Africa and parts of southern France. It typically grows 1 to 2.5 metres tall with an erect, densely branched habit and slender, ridged green stems that perform much of the photosynthesis. The leaves are alternate, trifoliate, with three narrow, linear, almost needle-like leaflets 1 to 3 cm long and only a few millimetres wide; the under surface is densely covered with silky white hairs while the upper surface is dark green. In spring the plant produces showy terminal racemes of bright yellow pea-flowers, each about 1 cm long; flowers are fragrant and attract bees. Fruits are flattened, slightly curved legume pods 1.5 to 2.5 cm long, covered with silky hairs and containing several small seeds. The species is considered an invasive woody weed in parts of Australia, New Zealand and California.