Spanish Broom, Zapatitos del Niño Jesús, Zapatillas de la Virgen

Wynette. We’ve seen some Spanish broom in bloom. Not a lot and not blooming profusely, but we were surprised to see it blooming at all here in mid-October because it is a spring-bloomer in Albuquerque. We have some in our garden at home. It looks the same as ours. Same sweet smell.

Today I picked a stem of the flowers to carry the smell with me. We stopped for a little break at the bar at Albergue Jacques de Molay in Terradillos de los Templarios. (Few places have short names on the Camino! ) I, without knowing it, dropped the stem on the floor. Our server saw it and returned it to me.

Later I asked her what the plant is called in Spain. She wasn’t sure so consulted two other women in the back. When she heard what they said she started laughing merrily and told us it is called zapatitos del niño Jesús, little shoes of the baby Jesus. After enjoying that for a moment I told her that where we are from it is called escoba de España, Spanish broom. She told the woman in the back who then came out and pointed to a handmade broom hanging on the wall. (Left broom in photo below.) She told us her father made that broom from the same plant. There were several beautifully-made brooms on the wall made from various plants. She said the plant is also called zapatillas de la Virgen, slippers of the Virgin.

We saw it blooming the first time a few days ago when walking with Susie from Scotland. She said it is called broom in Scotland and they made brooms from it there. We’ve heard it called broom in Italy as well. I don’t know this at all, but maybe the only place it is called Spanish broom is in New Mexico where the Spanish settlers remember it growing in their homeland. Perhaps they brought the first seeds to the new world. But now I’m just speculating.

Here are some more photos of the bar in Terradillos:
https://www.dropbox.com/sc/k3za616h7nlxfhs/AAD_vU1mI76jJaiQKOgSRC1Pa