Sophora tetraptera

19 Jan

Sophora tetraptera flower (17/01/2012, London)

Position: Sun to Partial Shade

Flowering period: Spring

Soil: Well Drained

Eventual Height: 8m

Eventual Spread: 4m

Hardiness: 8b, 9a, 9b

Family: Fabaceae

Sophora tetraptera is a semi evergreen large shrub or small upright tree with an open habit. Its dark green leaves are glossy, pinnate, each with up to 20 pairs of ovate leaflets. The individual leaflets are up to 2cm long. The yellow flowers appear en mass in racemes. These appear in the form of drooping panicles with very prominent anthers and are up to 6cm long. These are followed by distinctive long, four winged, almost segmented seed pods which are up to 8cm long. These contain yellow seeds.

Sophora tetraptera, commonly known as the Large Leaved Kowhai or the North Island Kowhai, is native to the north island of New Zealand. The Kowhai is the traditional national flower of New Zealand. All parts of this plant are toxic if ingested. This tree was introduced into the UK in 1772 by Joseph Banks who sailed with Captain James Cook on his first round the world expedition.

The etymological root of the binomial name Sophora is derived from the Arabic name, sophera, for a pea-ﬂowered tree. Tetraptera is derived from the Greek tetra ‘four’ and pteron ‘wings’, in reference to the seed pods.