Ruscus aculeatus
Asparagaceae
Knee Holly, Knee Holm
January to May (a few flowers may appear throughout
the year)
The native plant is found in the most southerly parts of the
Southeast, the South and the Southwest.
Planted aliens are found in the same habitats and thinly
scattered throughout the country.
See the BSBI distribution map for - Butcher's-broom
It grows in dry woods, hedges, churchyards, cliffs and
rocky ground.
Bird-sown seeds and discarded rhizomes allow aliens
to become readily established.
It is widely planted in parks, on roundabouts and hedges.
Butchers-broom is a native, dioecious (male and female
flowers on separate plants), evergreen, rhizomatous,
stiff, spiky bush, growing up to 1m.
I have yet to find male flowers. There should be some
because there are berries. It would seem that
hermaphrodite Butcher's Broom has been devoloped,
even so, I would expect to find stamens somewhere.
Flowers are up to 4mm across, greenish white with
purple markings.
There are 3 (larger) sepals and 3 small petals.
Male flowers have 3 stamens and female flowers
a short style with a cauliflower-shaped, 3-lobed stigma.
Fruits are red berries about 1cm across and contain
3 seeds.
Flowers are on sharply pointed expanded stems -
cladodes.
The true leaves are small scales.
Stems are stiff, wiry and striated.
It reproduces vegetatively by creeping rhizomes,and
by seed, which may be bird-sown.
Its name may relate to its purported use as a brush
to clean butchers' wooden blocks (the stiff spikes
on the cladodes get into the grain of the wood).
It also has many reported uses in herbal medicine.
Previous page: Aubretia
Next page: Chinese Quince
Butcher's Broom in the open,
Kennack Sands, Lizard, Cornwall
As an undershrub, Abbotsbury Dorset
Spine-tipped cladodes
Flowering stem
Flower, flower bud, cladodes
Close-up of female flower - stigma and
3 large sepals and 3 small petals
Side view of flower, 3-lobed stigma
Shrub with berries
Developing berry
Green berry
Ripe, red berry
Berry with remains of sepals and petals
Opened berry. 2 of the 3 seeds
Striated stem
True leaves - dry scales (one bent, one erect)
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