Greek chamai — dwarf, Cytisus.

Shrubs, subshrubs or small trees, sometimes thorny. Leaves alternate, of 3 leaflets; stipules absent. Flowers leafy. Flowers with calyx tubular, 2-lipped, the upper lip 2-toothed, the lower 3-toothed. Standard more or less round, longer than wings and keel. Stamens fused into 1 group. Ovary stalkless. Fruit pod flattened, oblong, containing several seeds.

A genus often included in Cytisus and grown chiefly as Tagasaste for fodder, but tending to become naturalised.

About 30 species from Europe and the Canary Islands.

Semi-hardwood cuttings.

Often grown for fodder.

Very similar to Cytisus but with flowers creamy white, calyx tubular and stems cylindrical with faint ridges.

Francisco-Ortega et al. (1993), Santos-Guerra &Francisco-Ortega (1994).

Source: Spencer, R. (2002). Fabaceae. In: Spencer, R.. Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. Volume 3. Flowering plants. Dicotyledons. Part 2. The identification of garden and cultivated plants. University of New South Wales Press.