Shopping at a plant nursery a few years ago, my husband – a park ranger who struggles with invasive species control on a regular basis – was horrified to see Scotch broom, potted and tagged for sale.
A member of the pea family, Scotch broom is just one of a handful of broom varietals. There are also brooms native to Spain, Portugal and France. But in Oregon it is the Scotch variant that is most common.
Introduced in the early 1800s as domestic sheep fodder or as a part of the ornamental plant trade – depending on the reference – Scotch broom became widespread in the wildlands of Oregon when it was planted along the Pacific Coast Highway in the early 1900s as a part of a somewhat misguided effort to prevent soil erosion.
A deciduous bush bursting with fragrant yellow blossoms in late April to early May, Scotch broom is a decidedly attractive plant that does have some redeeming qualities, including its medicinal use in the treatment of ailments like hemophilia, kidney stones and even snakebite prior to modern medicine and its ability to fix nitrogen in the soil.
But it is the plant’s more negative attributes – its tendency to spread quickly thanks to the production of over 20,000 hardy, explosively dispersing seeds annually and the shear density of its stands (references state that even quail cannot make their way inside) – that have made Scotch broom one of the most discussed and costliest invasive species in Oregon.
Found across the state – especially in areas that have been disturbed like pastures and roadways – Scotch broom hinders native and beneficial plant growth and hampers reforestation efforts, its seeds and flowers are toxic to humans and animals and densely packed bushes are highly flammable, increasing the risk of wildfire where it grows thickest.
Removal of the plant is difficult and costly, but the alternative – the ongoing loss of native species, habitat and even personal income to the tune of $40 million annually, according to the OSU Extension Service – is far worse.
Which is why invasive species experts recommend landowners immediately remove all Scotch broom plants upon notice by pulling small plants, digging larger plants or cutting down stands between seed cycles. Also recommended is the replanting of native species like the Oregon Grape, which can help shade out future
Scotch broom seedlings.
It’s an all-hands-on-deck situation and everyone in Oregon must do their part to remove previously introduced plants and stop the spread. So, if you see a Scotch broom plant – on a neighbor’s land, or even in a nursery – say something. After all, not everyone knows that beneath those pretty yellow blossoms lurks an invader of the
worst kind.
