Article Nº 1647 Plant Vol. II · p. 174
Broom (Cytisus scoparius)
Original title: Giesta (Cytisus scoparius)
Broom, a common leguminous shrub on Madeira and Porto Santo, used as manure and for making baskets and small wickerwork articles.
A very common shrub on Madeira, which also occurs on the island of Porto Santo (‘holy harbour’). It belongs to the family Leguminosae, subfamily Papilionaceae, and has trifoliate leaves with very small leaflets, yellow flowers and strongly compressed pods, ciliate along the margins. Broom is widely used to manure the land, and its branches are made into baskets, hampers (gigos) and other small articles. This craft already existed on the island at the time when ‘Longing for the Homeland’ (Saudades da Terra) was written.
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