Genista cinerea

Genista cinerea, the grey-leaved greenweed or ashy broom, is an erect much-branched deciduous shrub in the family Fabaceae native to the western Mediterranean basin, particularly the mountains of southern Spain, southern France, Italy, and North Africa. Plants reach 1-2.5 m in height with stiff slender many-branched stems bearing fine longitudinal ribs and an ash-grey pubescence — hence the specific epithet cinerea (ashy). The species lacks the spines typical of related genera. Leaves are alternate, simple, narrowly lanceolate to oblong, 5-15 mm long, sessile, with entire margins, sparsely silky-pubescent on the upper surface and more densely so beneath, often falling early to leave the plant photosynthesizing largely through its green twigs. The inflorescence is a profuse terminal raceme of bright golden-yellow pea-flowers, each 8-12 mm long, with a softly hairy calyx that is divided into two distinct lips. Flowering occurs from May to July and is showy enough that the plant is grown as an ornamental in dry-climate gardens. The fruit is a small flat dehiscent legume 12-25 mm long, densely silky-pubescent, containing 2-6 hard seeds. The species inhabits dry sunny limestone slopes, garrigues, and degraded oak woodland margins.