Lydia Broom, Lydia Woadwaxen               je-NIS-ta LE-di-a

• Deciduous (evergreen in warm areas), shrublet, low, 2 ft (60 cm) high, a procumbent form is common in cultivation.  Short, arching, slender, angular green stems.   Leaves alternate, simple, small (10 x 1.5 mm), linear-elliptic, acute tip, spaced about 10-15 mm along the stem.  Flowers bright yellow (pea-type), 1 cm long, cover plant in May.  Fruit to 2 cm, narrow-oblong, flat, glabrous (without hairs), 3-8 seeded.
• Full sun and well drained soil.
• Hardy to USDA Zone (6) 7      Native to the Balkans and western Asia.
• Genista: classical Latin name for broom.  lydia: of Lydia (Western Turkey).
• Corvallis: behind University Plaza, at Western Ave. and 15th St.