About Genista canariensis L.
Genista canariensis is a species of flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. Its common names are Canary broom, Canary Islands broom, and florist's genista. It is native to the Canary Islands, and has become an introduced species growing in mainland Europe, especially Spain, as well as on other continents. It has been introduced to California and Washington State in the United States. This species is a vigorous, upright evergreen shrub that grows up to 3 m (9.8 ft) tall and 1.5 m (4.9 ft) broad, with hairy green stems. Its leaves are composed of oval-shaped blue-green leaflets; each leaflet is up to one centimeter long, and is densely hairy on the underside. Bright yellow pea-like flowers are held in a raceme inflorescence, which can hold up to 20 flowers. The fruit is a legume pod that is one to two centimeters long, and contains several dark brown seeds. This plant is hardy down to −5 °C (23 °F), and prefers mild coastal areas. When cultivated in the UK, this plant has received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
