Flora of New Zealand Series

Montpellier broom

Much-branched, usually evergreen shrub up to 2.5 m high; twigs villous, particularly when young, round and ribbed. Lvs usually sparsely to densely clothed in appressed hairs on both surfaces, sometimes subglabrous above, petiolate, 3-foliolate; leaflets shortly petiolulate, obovate, acute to obtuse and shortly mucronate, 7-20-(30) × (3)-4-10-(12) mm; terminal leaflet larger than lateral leaflets; stipules triangular to lanceolate, up to 2.5 mm long. Infl. a cluster, with axis < 10 mm long, of 4-7 fls, terminating short lateral branches; pedicels c. 3 mm long. Calyx densely hairy, bilabiate; upper lip deeply 2-fid; lower lip shortly 3-lobed. Corolla yellow to golden yellow, 9-13 mm long; standard glabrous. Pod densely villous, oblong, 3-6-seeded, c. 18-20 mm long, 18-20 mm long; seeds green to black, ellipsoid or orbicular, flattened, c. 2.5 mm diam.

N.: locally common throughout; S.: locally common throughout except Westland.

Mediterranean, Asia Minor, Azores 1872

Waste places, scrubland.

FL (Aug)-May-Nov.

Reduced forms of Montpellier broom with smaller lvs and fewer and smaller fls sometimes occur in very dry situations. The sp. has been previously known in N.Z. as Cytisus monspessulanus or C. candicans; early records of C. capensis are also referable to T. monspessulana.