At the time, it did not make the list because “Current evidence does not show that it is spreading rapidly from cultivation and out competing native species in Massachusetts.” In 2005, the Massachusetts Invasive Plant Advisory Group (MIPAG) evaluated Scotch Broom for its invasive potential. Once planted and under cultivation, many individuals now line the road and are expanding into the open space around.
Take a drive down Barrett Farm Road (off of Madaket Road) and you will see plenty of examples of expanding Scotch Broom populations. With warming winters of the past several decades, the Scotch Broom has not only survived and thrived, but it has been able to reproduce and spread. While Scotch Broom has been on Nantucket for about two centuries, it had previously never been seen as a problem because it would die back in the winters. An 1895 record from Woods Hole, Massachusetts noted that it had “firmly established” in a field behind a local workshop.
It was planted near Provincetown, MA in 1875 for much the same reasons. Scotch Broom was planted on Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard in the late 1800s for a combination of its appearance and its dune stabilizing capabilities. In addition, Scotch broom is slightly toxic and unpalatable to grazers and browsers, so our deer won’t eat it. It produces abundant seeds that remain viable in the soil for many years.Its roots host nitrogenfixing bacteria, which helps the plant to establish in nutrient-poor soils.Although it loses its leaves in winter, the photosynthetic tissue in its stems allows it to grow throughout the year.Several characteristics contribute to Scotch Broom’s success as an invasive plant: In Oregon alone, Scotch broom costs Oregonians an estimated $40 million per year in control efforts. It has become an invasive species throughout the Pacific Northwest, where it competes with native plants and forms dense stands that are difficult to manage and remove. Like many plants brought in for erosion control (Japanese knotweed, for example), Scotch Broom is now one of the worst invasives on the west coast of the United States, where it thrives in the Pacific northwest and has been recognized as a pest weed in the interior valleys along the west coast of the U.S. It was widely planted on Cape Cod and the Islands in the 1800s because of this capacity to stabilize sand dunes. The woody shrub establishes quickly in disturbed areas. Later it was used to prevent erosion and stabilize banks and sand dunes. Scotch Broom was introduced from Europe as a garden ornamental by early settlers of the Pacific Coast. It can spread quickly as the seeds disperse explosively and are then carried along by wind. This is called ballistic seed dispersal, a method used by several plants, and highly effective for non-natives establishing into new territories. It has one of the coolest seed dispersal mechanisms: as the seed pod dries it begins to curl up, suddenly bursting and flinging the seeds as far as possible. Scotch Broom also has the tell-tale seed pods of pea and bean plants. Each flower is located in the space between the leaf stem and the branch. While a deciduous shrub, it appears evergreen due to the stems which remain dark green in winter allowing it to photosynthesize while other plants are dormant.Ī member of the pea family, Scotch Broom’s bright yellow flowers are shaped just like pea flowers. Scotch Broom (Cytisus scoparius) is a perennial leguminous shrub native to western and central Europe. Seemingly benign, this yellow shrub is an invasive species waiting to pounce. Ooo and ahh as you might, don’t be taken in by this lovely non-native plant. Director of Research & Education at the Linda Loring Nature Foundationĭriving down Surfside or Madaket Road this time of year, you may be struck by the bright pop of yellow blossoms on a dark green stem.
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