Plant of the month 2012 June
The plant of the month: Spanish broom
The Spanish broom, indigenous to the Mediterranean and an invasive in the USA, is most commonly known in Europe as an ornamental. But in a near past, it has been an important fiber plant, one of those known as spartum, and used to tie, make brooms and process linen. The last factory in France (Aspiran, Hérault) closed as lately as 1960. The areas where Spanish broom is dominant probably indicate places where it was sown and collected.
It is now up to you to contribute!
Michel Chauvet