Genista linifolia

Mediterranean broom

Family: Fabaceae · Type: shrub · Not Native

Conservation status: Cal-IPC Yes

Mediterranean broom is a naturalized shrub found in northern coastal California, Santa Barbara County, Santa Catalina Island, and the southern Channel Islands in disturbed places at elevations below 900 meters. Flowering from February to August, this plant produces yellow flowers in dense racemes up to 30 millimeters long. Growing as a compact shrub less than 2.5 meters tall, it develops densely silky-hairy twigs when young. Its leaves feature narrow linear to oblanceolate leaflets 10 to 60 millimeters long, with white hairs sparse on top and dense underneath, and margins rolled tightly inward. The fruit is covered in fine hairs and reaches 15 to 35 millimeters in length.

Habitat: Uncommon. Disturbed places

Bloom period: Feb-Aug

Elevation: < 900 m

Bioregions: NCoRO (Humboldt Co.), SCoRO (Santa Barbara Co.), s ChI (Santa Catalina Island), SnGb

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.