Calicotome

Spiny spiny broom ( Calicotome spinosa)

The spiny broom ( Calicotome ) are a genus of flowering plants, the subfamily of the Fabaceae ( Faboideae ) belongs within the legume family ( Fabaceae ).

The direct translation of the genus name is " Kelchzerteiler " since the blossoming of the cup is broken and the upper portion remains as a cap on the corolla.

The species are native to the Mediterranean. They grow mainly in maquis and similar shrub vegetation.

System

The genus was described by Link in 1822 for the first time in the Enumeratio Plantarum Horti Regii Berolinensis.

There are three types:

• Hairy spiny broom ( Calicotome villosa )
• Spiny spiny broom ( Calicotome spinosa)
• Calicotome infesta

The genus is sometimes included in the genus Cytisus.