Witch's Brooms

A witch's broom is typically depicted as a besom broom, which is a constructed broom made of a bundle of twigs tied to a stouter pole. They are still made today and sold at garden centers. The bristles can be made of many materials including straw, herbs, or twigs. Traditionally the handle is of hazel wood and the head is of birch twigs.

A bristle-up broom near a doorway is said to help protect the house from evil spirits or negative energies.  Perhaps evildoers see the broom and assume a witch is at home and move on to the next house.


But why are witches associated with brooms? There are theories revolving around herbal ointments and "flying" hallucinations. If you want to know more, a quick search of the internet will retrieve some entertaining results.  (We'll reserve that info for the advanced class...)

Witch's Broom is also a deadly tree disease. In medieval times, unexplainable events were often blamed on witchcraft. The term witches' broom comes from the German word Hexenbesen, which means to bewitch (hex) a bundle of twigs (besom). The name for this mysterious tree ailment could have come about because it manifests like a broom--and is so difficult to pinpoint the cause-- that it might have been easier to say the tree was bewitched!


Source:  Paula Flynn, Department of Plant Pathology at Iowa State University.