I am looking for information that is beyond the basic one or two sentences posted on most web sites on the esoteric or mystical properties of scotch broom. Any information would be much appreciated. Thank you
Do not know much about broom apart from the fact it became a noxious weed, along with gorse, in New Zealand, so be careful, it may do the same in your climate. It was brought to NZ (gorse, also) by early settlers, to use as shelter hedges, etc, also to remind them of "home". It loved the growing conditions & thrived much, much too well. Sure it looks pretty, but it crowded out the native plants & became a pest. So really do your homework if you plan on growing it.
Cytisus scoparius and Ulex europaeus are already pest species in this region. "Another severe fire came through in 1936. It is uncertain how the fire started. But what kept it going was the gorse that ,once planted as an ornamental shrub, now grew wild everywhere. The plant was very oily and very spiny. Dead leaves from other trees fell into the gorse and stuck there, where they dried to a crisp. Once the fire got started, it had plenty of fuel in the gorse, which grew in almost everybody's yard. The oil of the plant through off oily sparks that easily moved the fire from house to house. The fire started in the residential section, then moved to the business section, which was just over the hill. The Coquille River lighthouse aided the firefighters by directing light across the river. But the fight was futile. The water mains were damaged, then fire kept burning all the hoses, and the gorse just kept burning. Soon people started fleeing for nearby communities. Some went across the river to seek refuge in the dunes. The lighthouse keepers provided water and shelter to survivors and homeless. Even the telephone company was burned down, so ships' radios were the only source of communication. Eventually all but 16 buildings out of 500, were burned down. The high school was one of the few buildings that survived." Yahoo [Edited by wcutler: that source link isn't coming up now, but the same text can be found at Bandon Burns! 1914 & 1936 - Bandon, OR - Famous Fires on Waymarking.com]
Yes RonB, fire fueled by the abundance of gorse (& broom) is also a very real problem in NZ & can cause the destruction of native bush (forests), as well as property damage. I have a very vivid memory from childhood, of a gorse fire that nearly destroyed our home, came right to our fenceline before it was contained. Absolutely nothing else can grow if gorse or broom take hold. Luckily for Australia (where I am now living), especially in the warmer areas such as here, they are virtually non-existent. That certainly was a terrible fire you referred to. Also, don't get me started on the allergenic properties of both plants!!!!
If you want to find information from the species' native area (which is where such information will most likely be found), don't use the name 'scotch', as that is considered offensive, and therefore never used. Look for just 'broom' or 'common broom'.
"Broom" would bring up quantities of irrelevant hits, I would just use the Latin binomial if I was trying to get good results.
Might work, though I suspect a lot of mythology / mysticism sites wouldn't use the scientific name. Cytisus scoparius, synonym Sarothamnus scoparius, if you want to try.
Have you tried Googling "mystical properties of broom"? We are being invaded by broom and the only bright side I can see is that it is giving the ivy and blackberries a hard time. I certainly pull out any volunteers in our garden. Good luck with your search. Margaret
According to a book I have called Flower Essence Repertory (Kaminsky and Katz), Scotch Broom's positive qualities includes "optimistic feelings about the world and about future events; sun-like forces of caring, encouragement and purpose" This makes sense to me given that the plant is a soil healer, being the first to inhabit after cataclysmic events (clearing, fire). It is also known to be a powerful anti-cancer herb, though it should only be used by very qualified herbalists because it is also a poison. I always thank it before I yank it out of my forest.
This is very interesting, as my sister in law lives in Yelm, Washington and it grows all over her 10 acres. It must be the moisture that does it as i bought me a small container plant and it has grown quite a bit (and I didn't know I could prune it...blush) but I did notice that I was it might be giving me some allergy problems in the spring. Because it has gotten so big or I'm getting older. never had problems before, but then I was usually doing more watergardening. I started pruning the branches, and I plan on using them for sheltering plants during the winter. Is this a bad idea? I don't think they could cause a fire during the winter And I've looked for seedlings and never found any so maybe that is because it is a cultivated form of broom and our summers are very hot and it is near the street's black top, (we don't have sidewalks in our neighborhood) and the southernest side of the perennial garden plot?
