Scotch Broom

• Invasive:

Gorse (Ulex europaeus) is a (very!) thorny shrub with inch-long sharp spines that may grow up to 1.8 m tall. The flowers, similarly to Scotch Broom, are yellow and pea-like; however, the flowers are around 0.8 cm long and cluster on the ends of the branches.

 

 

 

St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum) is a perennial that grows to about 1 m in height. It has showy, bright yellow flowers with 5 petals that turn rusty red when they mature. It prefers dry, sandy soils and full sun.

 

 

 

Spanish Broom (Spartium junceum) is another invasive Broom plant with yellow flowers. You can spot the difference by their stems: Spanish Broom stems are round, whereas Scotch Broom stems are ridged. Spanish Broom also flowers later in the year.

 

 

 

Bird’s-Foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) is a perennial that grows 60cm tall. It has bright yellow flowers and grows along roadsides and disturbed areas.

Scotch Broom was brought to North America from Scotland as a garden ornamental by Captain Walter Grant and planted on Vancouver Island in Sooke. Amazingly, Captain Grant only brought over 3 Scotch Broom seeds with him in the 1850’s and the plant has managed to spread and thrive across Vancouver Island and many areas of BC at an incredible rate.

Scotch Broom grows in open, disturbed sites at low elevations. It is found along roads, railway lines, dry fields, rocky slopes, and utility right-of-ways. It thrives in well-drained, sandy soil and full sunlight, though it will also tolerate shaded areas. Scotch Broom is a highly aggressive spreader and can quickly cover fields, meadows and any deforested areas.

Scotch Broom is abundant in certain portions of the Sea to Sky region (i.e. Squamish and south), but has not yet infested all potential habitats. The goal is to contain the spread of Scotch Broom to ISMA 1.

 

Learn to identify Scotch Broom: Use the images presented on this profile page.

What to do if you spot it: You can report any Scotch Broom sighting by clicking here.

DO:

• Regularly monitor properties for weed infestations.
• Ensure soil and gravel is uncontaminated before transport.
• Quickly re-vegetate disturbed areas with fast-growing competitive, native plants can limit growth of Scotch Broom and is a fundamental tool to limit its spread.
• Minimize soil disturbance in area surrounding infestation.
• Ensure plants (particularly flowering heads or root fragments) are bagged or covered to prevent spread during transport to designated disposal sites (e.g. landfill).

 

DO NOT:

• Plant Scotch Broom in a garden, no matter how well-contained its enclosure may seem.
• Move soil that has been contaminated with Scotch Broom.
• Unload, park, or store equipment or vehicles in infested areas; remove plant material from any equipment, vehicles, or clothing used in such areas and wash equipment and vehicles at designated cleaning sites before leaving infested areas.
• Mow or weed-whack Scotch Broom plants, as the fragments can propagate as new colonies. Frequent mowing may also accelerate shoot development, leading plants to spread laterally from the parent plant.
• Compost Scotch Broom, especially the seeds!

 

Control

Cultural Control:

Grazing by goats and chickens has been shown to reduce infestations.

Mechanical Control:

• Small seedlings (less than a pencil width) can be hand-pulled when the soil is moist. Larger plants must be cut down at the base of the stem before they begin to flower.
• Due to Scotch Broom’s need for sunlight to photosynthesize, covering the newly-cut stem with soil, moss or plastic will help prevent regrowth.

Chemical Control:

• Commonly used herbicides include triclopyr, imazapyr, aminopyralid and glyphosate, applied alone or in combination with 2,4-D.
• Herbicides can be applied from spring to late summer using selective spot spraying, basal stem injection, or cut surface application.

We recommend that any herbicide application is carried out by a person holding a valid BC Pesticide Applicator Certificate. Before selecting and applying herbicides, you must review and follow herbicide labels and application rates; municipal, regional, provincial and federal laws and regulations; species-specific treatment recommendations, and site-specific goals and objectives.

Biological Control:

Several species of seed-feeding beetles have been released into Scotch Broom populations south of the BC-Washington border. Biological control agents have not yet been shown to reduce Scotch Broom density in established populations, but do help to reduce spread, especially in combination with other removal efforts.