Fabaceae

Genista linifolia

Common Names: Flax-leaf broom

Plant Form: Erect or spreading shrub. Size: To 3 m tall. Stem: Rigid, green, slightly hairy. Leaves: Divided into 3 narrow leaflets, each up to 25 mm long, green and smooth above, pale and hairy below, barely stalked. Flowers: Several yellow pea-flowers in clusters, 10-15 mm long, individually stalked 2-4 mm. Fruit and Seeds: Pod up to 3 cm long, densely hairy, containing 2-6 seeds per pod, which are spherical, olive-green to brownish, with orange flesh. Habitat: Roadsides, paddocks, neglected land. Distinguishing Features: Leaflets much narrower and pods with fewer seeds than in Cape broom (Genista monspessulana). Impacts: Outcompetes and excludes native vegetation, increases fire risk.

Flowers

Growth habit

Growing seed pods

Open seed pods