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The Greenspace InsiderVolume 2, Number 6 July, 200

FRENCH BROOM - The Yard Plant That EscapedThis is the second in a series of Insider articles discussing

invasive plants that are affecting the Cambria forest and wild-life. The Cambria forest and surrounding agriculture lands

have numerous invasive plant species. The California StateDepartment of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and the Cali-

fornia Native Plant Society (CNPS) consider French, Scotch,and Spanish brooms pests.

What is an invasive plant & why should I care?The term invasive describes those species thathave the ability to spread into areas where they

are not native and establish self-sustaining popu-lations without direct human assistance. Inva-

sive species also can cause environmental or eco-

nomic harm or harm to human health. Invasiveplants displace native species by direct competi-

tion for resources, hinder seedling regeneration,reduce food sources and habitat for wildlife, and

disrupt native plant-pollinator interactions. Manyinvasive plants are disease vectors that can in-

troduce and spread crop diseases, threaten plantcommunities like pine forests and oak woodlands,and threaten human and wildlife health.

What is French Broom?French broom is a legume and part of the pea family (Fabaceae).

Genista monspessulanais the Latin binomial given to this plant.This broom is native to the Mediterranean region, the Azores

and the Canary Islands. French broom was offered for sale atCalifornia nurseries as early as 1871. By the mid 1940s it hadescaped cultivation and was naturalized in central California.

Of the three brooms (French, Spanish, and Scotch) natural-ized in California, the most widespread is French broom. It is

presently found in at least 23 counties from Del Norte south-ward to San Diego and from the coast eastward to Butte, Yuba,

Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, and San Bernardino counties.French broom is the most widespread and damaging of the

weedy brooms and in some places forming dense, almost im-penetrable thickets that invade native vegetation. These thick-ets of broom prevents reforestation, creates a high fire haz-

ards, renders rangeland worthless, and greatly increases the

cost of maintenance onroads, canals, streams, andutilities. Wildlife suffers as

large stands of broom re-duce forage for deer.Broom is also considered

mildly toxic and is browsedminimally by livestock.

French broom is also clas-sified by the California State

Department of Food andAgriculture classifies broom as a noxious weed and rates it as aClass C pest species. There is almost no information available

about seed production, dispersal, viability, germination, or seed-

ling establishment for French broom. The only specific infmation found was that it copiously produces hard coa

seeds that may remain viable for many years. We have betold that seed can stay viable for up to 80 yea

What is a noxious weed?A noxious weed is a plant that has been defined as a pest

law or regulation. Both California and the U

government maintain lists of plants that considered threats to the well-being of the st

or the country. In California, biologists of California Department of Food and Agricult

recommend plants for listing, after consution with outside experts and the Agricultu

Commissioners of Californias count(CACs). If a plant is found to probably troublesome, aggressive, intrusive, detrim

tal, or destructive to agriculture, silvicultuor important native species, and difficult to c

trol or eradicate, the Department will desnate the plant as a noxious weed. Once CDlists a species, it also receives a rating ofB, C, D, or Q. French broom is rated a

class C noxious weed. CDFA defines class C as an

ganism subject to no state enforced action outside of nursies except to retard spread, or an organism subject to

state enforced action except to provide for pest cleanline

in nurseries. How this happens is at the discretion of individual commissioner. From a forest health, wildlife, afire hazard point of view, unchecked infestations of FrenBroom in the Cambria forest need to be eradicated. If y

have French Broom on your property and do not want to move it, then it is critical that you control the greenwa

stream leaving your property and the regeneration of plafrom seed that may affect neighboring propert ie

Methods to eliminate or control infestations of broom.These methods include manual removal, mechanical removthermal control, and biological control. Manual control is hig

selective and labor intensive. Using tools like the WeedWrenis very effective as the tool

removes the root of theplant. This tool can be

borrowed from theGreenspace office. Me-chanical control is non se-

lective and consists ofchopping, cutting or mow-

ing. Thermal control con-sists of burning by flame

thrower or control burns.Biological control or com-petition is sowing seeds of

native plants that have the potential to out-compete broom. Ofremoving the broom and sowing native seed is preferre

French Broom SeedBroom Invasion in a Monterey Pine Fores

Close Up Of Broom

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Local Land Conservation Since 1988Post Office Box 1505

Cambria, California 93428(805) 927-2866 - Phone

(805) 927-7530 - Faxe-mail: rick@GreenspaceCambria.orgwww.GreenspaceCambria.org

U.S. Bulk Rate

PAID

Permit No. 37

Cambria, CA 93428Non-Profit Organizati

Botanicalname:Genistamonspessulana

Commonname:Frenchbroom Family:Fabaceae

(Pea)

Habitat:Disturbedplacesbelow1500',nearcoast,

WestTransverseandPeninsularRanges,

nativetoMediterraneanandAzores

Bloomingperiod:MarchtoJune

SeeYouAtThe

14thAnnual Greenspace

ArtAuction!Saturday,August17th

3:00-6:00p.m.

CambriaVetsHall urces:AlisonE.Stanton,CalEPPCTheNatureConservancy,ElementStewardshipAbstract

MontereyPineForestEcologyWorkshop

AniGarrick

nchBroominBloom

RoadsideInfestation