Retama is a small genus of flowering broom bushes in the legume family Fabaceae, placed in the tribe Genisteae and subfamily Papilionoideae. The genus comprises five accepted species of mostly leafless, rush-like shrubs native to North Africa, the Levant, and parts of southern Europe. The plants bear pea-like flowers — white in Retama raetam and Retama monosperma, yellow in Retama sphaerocarpa — and produce small, rounded seed pods. Like other members of the broom tribe, Retama shrubs are adapted to dry, open habitats and have reduced leaves that limit water loss.
The genus was erected in 1838 by the American naturalist Constantine Samuel Rafinesque, who derived the name from the Hebrew word רותם (rotem), as used in the Jewish Bible. Rafinesque recognised it as distinct from related genera including Spartium, Cytisus, and Genista, though the question of whether Retama should be merged into Genista remains open in taxonomy. An earlier name, Lygos, has since been formally rejected as a nomen rejiciendum under the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants.
All species contain cytisine, a quinolizidine alkaloid that is toxic to humans and livestock. Retama raetam is notable in the cultural and religious traditions of the Levant, referenced in the Hebrew Bible (the plant under which the prophet Elijah rested). Retama monosperma is widely cultivated as an ornamental and for dune stabilisation in coastal regions.
Etymology
The genus name Retama comes from the Hebrew word רותם (rotem), the name used for the plant in the Jewish Bible. The genus was formally described by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque in 1838, who took the name directly from this biblical Hebrew source. An earlier synonym, Lygos, has been officially rejected under the International Code of Nomenclature.
Distribution
Retama species grow natively in North Africa, the Levant, and parts of southern Europe. Retama rhodorhizoides is restricted to the Canary Islands when treated as a species distinct from R. monosperma. The shrubs are characteristic of dry, open, and often sandy or rocky habitats across the Mediterranean basin and adjacent arid regions.
Taxonomy Notes
The genus Retama sits in the tribe Genisteae, subfamily Papilionoideae of Fabaceae, per the 2017 classification of the family. Whether Retama should be subsumed into the larger genus Genista remains an open question. The name Lygos — once applied to the group — is now a rejected name. Retama rhodorhizoides is treated as a synonym of R. monosperma by some authorities and as R. raetam by others; Plants of the World Online (per the African Plant Database) accepts it as a distinct species restricted to the Canary Islands.
