Genista monspessulana (French Broom)

Native to the Azores and the Mediterranean region east to the Caucasus, this branching shrub has softly hairy young stems and leaves divided into three broad leaflets. Bright yellow, pea-shaped flowers develop singly or in small clusters along short branches and at the shoot tips. Hairy, flattened pods become brown to black and split to release rounded seeds. Long cultivated as an ornamental and hedge, the species is invasive in California, United States, where dense stands displace native vegetation. Photographed in Colombia.