Tagasaste

Tagasaste, or tree lucerne, is a leguminous shrub or small tree, Cytisus proliferus, native to the Canary Islands. It is evergreen, with slender grey-green compound leaves and showy clusters of bright yellow flowers in spring. Mature plants can reach several meters in height and spread, but pruning can keep it in check.

Ecology and habitat: Tagasaste is drought-tolerant and adapted to poor soils, including sandy and calcareous substrates. It tolerates coastal winds and light salinity. It fixes atmospheric nitrogen through root nodules, improving soil fertility for nearby plants.

Uses: It is widely grown as a fodder plant for ruminant animals in arid and semi-arid regions. Leaves and soft, immature growth are high in crude protein and can be grazed, cut as hay, or made into silage, though feeding should be managed to avoid toxicity. It also serves as a windbreak, hedge, or shade tree in agroforestry systems. The shrub coppices well and responds to pruning, allowing rotational grazing and wood production.

Cultivation and management: Best established in well-drained soils with full sun. Tolerant of poor soils but performs best with irrigation during establishment. Pruning stimulates new growth and helps contain size. In some regions, the plant contains alkaloids, such as cytisine, so livestock feeding should be gradual and monitored, with attention to total diet.