code: 715
The attractive sprays of leaves
Family: Fabaceae
Common name: West Coast Kowhai
Plant Classification: Half hardy tree Hardy tree Half hardy shrub
Minimum Height: 3.0 meters
Maximum Height: 9.0 meters
Packet Content(approx.): 6
Golden flowers open in Spring on this lovely tree which is almost considered New Zealand’s national flower. The attractive sprays of leaves, with tiny leaflets, are crowded and often overlapping making this one of the most desirable ornamental trees you can grow.
Sowing advice:
These seeds have already been thoroughly cleaned and cold-stored for several months. The hard seed coast should be lightly nicked or sanded. Soaking seed in water overnight before sowing often improves the germination success rate.
They should be sown into a well-drained, sandy compost at any time of the year, and covered thinly with sand or grit and kept moist. Keep at between 15 and 20 degrees C. Germination usually occurs within 4 to 6 weeks although some seeds may take much longer.
DISTRIBUTION:
Endemic to New Zealand, occurring in Northland, Auckland and the Waikato. The southern limit occurs at Mt Karioi on the south side of Raglan Harbour.
HABITAT:
Open or disturbed sites, on base-rich volcanic rock, rubble and outcrops, amongst mixed podocarp-hardwood forest.
SIMILAR TAXA:
Sophora microphylla, S. chathamica, S. godleyi and S. tetraptera could be confused with S. fulvida. These all tend to have fewer leaflets on each leaf, and leaflets which are often larger, broader, crowded and sometimes overlapping or widely spaced.
