Sophora tetraptera (POT grown)
Kowhai - North Island Ht 5-15m
Endemic to the East of North Island, now widely planted. Branches spreading sometimes pendulous. Branchlets clad in a golden yellow or grey tomentum. Leaves 100-150mm with 10-20 pairs of grey-green leaflets well spaced, never crowded or overlapping, densely clad in silky straight appressed hairs. Up to 10 flowers in a bunch Sept.-Dec., nectar attracting tuis , bellbirds and bees. The wood is very hard and durable.
Group trees and shrubs:
No
Categories:
- Small Tree
- NZ native
- Evergreen
- Attractive flowers or catkins
- Attractive to birds
- Attractive berries fruits or cone
- Attracts bees
- Container Grown
Sophora prostrata (POT grown)
Kowhai - South Island mountain Ht 1-2m
Endemic to dry stoney Eastern South Island sites. A small dense bush to 2m tall, zig-zaggy branches 25mm long leaves, leaflets 4mm long, drooping orange-yellow flowers in spring, 5cm nobbly pods with hard brown to almost black seeds.
Juveniles & adults similar. Useful for bonsai.
Group trees and shrubs:
No
Categories:
- Shrub
- Evergreen
- Tolerates exposed sites
- Tolerates dry sites
- Attractive flowers or catkins
- Attractive to birds
- Attractive berries fruits or cone
- Attracts bees
- Container Grown
Sophora molloyi 'Dragon's Gold' (POT grown)
Kowhai - Winter flowering Ht 1.5m
A clone selected by Blue Mountain Nurseries originating from Stephens Island in Cook Strait, home of the tuatara and produced by cuttings. A dense sprawling evergreen shrub flowering in July, attracting tuis and bellbirds. Tolerates cold, drought and coastal gales.
Group trees and shrubs:
No
Categories:
- Shrub
- NZ native
- Evergreen
- Resistant to salt spray
- Tolerates exposed sites
- Tolerates dry sites
- Attractive flowers or catkins
- Attractive to birds
- Container Grown
Sophora molloyi (POT grown)
Kowhai - Cook Strait Ht 1-3m
Bushy sprawling evergreen shrub restricted to Cook Strait Islands and S. North Island bluffs. No divaricating juvenile stage. Leaves up tp 100mm long, petiolules & rachides channelled above, leaflets 23-37 similar in size, not crowded or overlapping. Petiolules usually pubescent with other leaflet parts. Apr -Oct up to 5 flowers, part hidden in foliage, up to 9 light brown to yellow seeds.
Group trees and shrubs:
No
Categories:
- Shrub
- NZ native
- Evergreen
- Resistant to salt spray
- Tolerates exposed sites
- Tolerates dry sites
- Attractive flowers or catkins
- Attractive to birds
- Attractive berries fruits or cone
- Attracts bees
- Erosion control
- Container Grown
Sophora microphylla (POT grown)
Kowhai - South Island Ht 5-25m
Can grow to 25m usually a single trunk, branches weeping and spreading. Adult leaflets 30-50, not crowded or overlapping, of similar size, with an obvious petiolule, moderately to sparcely hairy, hairs straight and appressed. Leaves >30mm, leaflet pairs >6. Juveniles divaricating and interlacing branching. Can be deciduous in a cold climate. To 7 Yellow flowers in a bunch in Spring attract tuis and bellbirds, pigeons feed on the leaves.
Group trees and shrubs:
No
Categories:
- Small Tree
- NZ native
- Evergreen
- Tolerates wet sites
- Tolerates exposed sites
- Tolerates dry sites
- Attractive flowers or catkins
- Attractive to birds
- Attractive berries fruits or cone
- Attracts bees
- Erosion control
- Container Grown
Sophora longicarinata (POT grown)
Kowhai - Golden Bay Ht 4-5m
Endemic to marble and limestone soils in NW Nelson & W Marlborough. Tree with single straight trunk or a multi-stemmed shrub. Leaves 140mm with 35-54 small equal-sized leaflets, much finer and less dense than other kowhai. Flowers
lemon-yellow Oct-Jan. No divaricating juvenile stage.
Group trees and shrubs:
No
Categories:
- Small Tree
- NZ native
- Evergreen
- Tolerates dry sites
- Attractive flowers or catkins
- Attractive to birds
- Attractive berries fruits or cone
- Attracts bees
- Container Grown
Sophora howinsula (POT grown)
Lord Howe Is. kowhai (syn.'Gnome') Ht 3-4m
Native to Lord Howe Island, part of the largely submerged Zealandia, on which NZ sits. Small stocky evergreen tree with a lignotuber at ground level. Pinnate leaves 5-10cm long larger than S. tetraptera. Larger yellow flowers July to Sept. 7-12cm pods contain smooth orange-brown seeds. Wood is hard and durable.
vergreen, with upright vase shaped slightly arching branches.
Larger leaves and much larger flowers. Hardy, slower than most kowhai. Suitable for a small garden. Known by the name 'Gnome'.
Group trees and shrubs:
No
Categories:
- Shrub
- NZ native
- Evergreen
- Tolerates dry sites
- Attractive flowers or catkins
- Attractive to birds
- Attractive berries fruits or cone
- Attracts bees
- Container Grown
Sophora godleyi (POT grown)
Kowhai - Rangitikei Ht 5-15m
Restricted to the central North Is., usually 1 trunk, foliage appearance grey-green with long pendulous branches. Branchlets densely pubescent, becoming glabrous with age. Adult leaves to 170mm long, petioles and rachides channelled above, Leaflets 47-75 becoming smaller near leaftip, can be crowded but not overlapping. Up to 7 yellow flowerrs Oct - Dec.
Pods 60-120mm long with up to 11 yellow seeds.
Group trees and shrubs:
No
Categories:
- Small Tree
- NZ native
- Evergreen
- Attractive flowers or catkins
- Attractive to birds
- Attractive berries fruits or cone
- Attracts bees
- Container Grown
Sciadopitys verticillata (POT grown)
Umbrella pine Ht 8-15m
Narrowly conical, slow growing evergreen, a relic from millions of years ago with fossils in Europe. Narrow linear green leaves arranged like the spokes of an umbrella. Needs a free draining lime-free fertile soil. Three years old.
Group trees and shrubs:
No
Categories:
- Small Tree
- Evergreen
- Container Grown
Quercus suber (POT grown)
Evergreen cork oak Ht 15-25m
S. Europe, N. Africa. Broadly spreading, evergreen. Very thick corky bark. Tolerates hot dry sites.
Group trees and shrubs:
Yes
Categories:
- Medium tree
- Evergreen
- Resistant to salt spray
- Tolerates exposed sites
- Attractive to birds
- Shelter
- Container Grown
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