Expoplant - Acquista online: Cytisus scoparius -

The Cytisus is a broom of European origin, in Italy it is widespread in all the regions up to 1300 m of altitude. It was not observed only in Puglia.
It is a bush that does not exceed 2.5 m in height. The structure consists of multiple stems that branch off from the base and branch only in the final part, thus forming a flattened hat.
The stems are sinuous and irregular and can intertwine. Each stem is characterized by 5 ribs that make it angular and rough; the greenish bark becomes dark with age.
The leaves are deciduous, are of a simple type, those placed at the base of a flattened and pubescent petiole, from which originates a leaf composed of trifoliate that in autumn falls early. This broom then carries simple leaves with full margins along the older branches that sometimes persist even in winter. The insertion is alternate and takes place on thin, green branches. The leaves keep small dimensions (0.5 x 1.5 cm); those composed are formed by the union of three small laminae, of which the lateral ones are smaller than the central one, sessile, of oval shape with a whole margin and penninervia rib. The upper page is smooth, while the lower one appears clearer and pubescent. The young twigs are angular and ribbed.
The flowers are hermaphrodite with golden yellow papilionacea corolla and 0,5 x 2 cm banner; the 8 mm long glabrous glass is formed by two greenish sepals. The flowers are found individually or in pairs in the axils of the leaves; their number is so high that they seem to form cluster inflorescences along the branches. Flowering occurs in the months of May and June, when the leaves are already present, on the branches of a year. The fruit is represented by a very dark, smooth legume, but with lomenti; appears tomentoso at the point of union between the two valves.
It is a widespread shrub in Italy both naturally and cultivated for ornamental purposes; for this last use the bloom and the rusticity are appreciated. It prefers bright and sheltered environments (does not tolerate frost), acid reaction substrates, deep, without water stagnation, mainly sandy and rich in mineral elements. In alkaline reaction soils it is not very long-lived.