Night Broom

Description

Common Names

Night Broom

Classification

Herbaceous, Flower

A short growing broom plant, with a solitary broom shaped purple-to-black flower. The leaves of this plant are light green, with a dark purplish-black strip along the centre crease, and have a soft soft velvety texture on the topside.

Ecology

Rarity

This variety of broom plant is uncommon.

Distribution

Night Broom ranges from sub-tropical to sub-arctic latitudes, in hills, plains and savanna, and grows best in open spaces with little shade.

Life Cycle

Night broom is an semi-annual, which flowers in the late spring, keeps its petals throughout the summer until the seed pod develops fully. The seeds over-winter in the pod which dries and splits in the spring, releasing tiny black grains with feathery filaments to be dispersed by the wind.

Uses

Cultivation

wild, gathered as required.

Culinary

Night Broom has no known culinary use.

Medicinal

hallucinogen (petals), hypnotic (petals)

Other

poison (seeds)