BROOM, various shrubs of the closely allied genera Genista, Cytisus and Spartium, of the family Fabacece, natives mostly of the warm and temperate parts of the Old World. The name is applied only to species which have long, slender twigs and numerous axillary flowers. Genista monosperma, a Spanish and North African species, attains a height of 10 feet; has almost leafless, grayish branches; small, simple, linear, silky leaves; fragrant white flowers in short lateral racemes; and one-seeded pods. It is planted in shrubberies and is grown in greenhouses in preferably loose, dry soil. G. tinctaria, dyer's greenweed, a native of Europe and western Asia, is an erect shrub about three feet tall with somewhat pubescent branches and many flowered axillary racemes which are terminally panicled. Its branches, leaves and blossoms are used to dye wool yellow, or when mixed with wood, green, Cytisus sooparius, Scotch or common brown, a native of middle and southern Europe, at tains a height of 20 feet, but usually much less, has erect slender branches short-petioled leaves, generally large, solitary, long-stalked, drooping yellow flowers and brownish black pods. It has been largely introduced into the United States for ornament, and is hardy as far north as Nova Scotia. It succeeds on dry soils, and produces an abundance of bloom in late spring and early summer. The stems and leaves, which are very bitter and nauseous tasting and smelling, have been used in dyeing and tanning, and the fibre of the former used to make cloth and paper. The wood of large
specimens is highly valued for turning and cabinetmaking. C. albus, white or Portugal broom, a native of the Mediterranean region, which attains a height of three feet, sometimes even 20 feet, has fascicles of axillary flowers, for which it is frequently planted in shrubberies. Many other species are valued for ornamental planting, for pasturage, and since their flowers yield abundant nectar, for bee forage. Spartium juncessm, Spanish broom, a native of southern Europe, is an upright shrub, 10 feet tall, with slender, green branches, fragrant yellow flowers which appear continuously during summer, and in California, where the plant has been intro duced, almost throughout the year. It grows on dry soils and in rocky places. Its fibre is used to some extent in Spain, Italy and France for rope- and cloth-making and even for mak ing.some kinds of lace. See CYTISUS; GENISTA; SPAKI1UM.
(Holcus sorghum var. millet or Guinea-corn), a plant of the grass family with a jointed stem, rising to the height of 8 or 10 feet, extensively cultivated in North America, where the branched panicles are made into carpet-brooms and clothes-brushes. The seed is used for feeding poultry, cattle, etc.