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History
 he common broom, as with many of the UK's native plants, is steeped in history and folklore, and gave its name to a royal dynasty - its original Latin term, Planta genista, was adopted by the Plantagenets. Geoffrey of Anjou, father of Henry II, put a sprig of broom in his helmet when going into battle. A spray of broom was the badge of Henry II and the plant made its first official heraldic appearance in England on the Great Seal of Richard I, the Lionheart.
The common name comes from the old English word brom, meaning coarse shrub, and it was one of many plants employed to sweep the floor, although tradition forbade its use for such humble tasks when it was in flower. Common broom flowers are edible, either raw in salads, or pickled. The green shoot tips were used during the Second World War as a mild diuretic - a practice not recommended today, as, in large quantities, the active constituent of broom, sparteine, is poisonous!
Today, broom may no longer be used to sweep with or be eaten, but it still has its uses. Its strong roots help to bind banks (including sand dunes, as it is salt tolerant). The wood of larger specimens has been used as a valuable veneer and, in Madeira, the branches are still sometimes'used for basket work.
The hybrids, more often seen in our gardens, are grown for show. Cytisus x kewensis, raised at Kew more than 100 years ago, has creamy yellow flowers, and reaches twelve to sixteen inches (30-40 centimetres) in height. As it can spread more than six feet (two metres), it looks marvellous tumbling down a slope.
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