Weeping Broom

Botanical name: Carmichaelia stevensonii
Synonyms: Chordospartium stevensonii
Common name(s): Weeping broom, Hokianga broom, Native broom

About:
A rare and distinctive New Zealand native broom forming a small tree with elegant pendulous branches. Its leafless, yellow-green stems create a graceful weeping habit, while clusters of pale lavender and white pea flowers provide a striking summer display. It is one of New Zealand’s most ornamental native brooms and is highly valued in dryland gardens.

Natural habitat:
Open scrub, rocky slopes, alluvial terraces, colluvial fans and sparsely vegetated sites in inland river valleys.

Growing environment:
Prefers full sun and free-draining soils. Well adapted to dry climates, rocky ground and exposed conditions. Dislikes humidity and poorly drained soils.

Endemic distribution:
Endemic to New Zealand. Naturally confined to the inland river valleys of southern Marlborough in the northern South Island.

Height:
5–10 m

Width:
3–5 m

Flowering:
December – January

Fruiting:
March – May

Uses:

• Feature tree for dry gardens
• Native specimen tree
• Shelter and revegetation planting
• Dryland restoration projects
• Rock gardens and slopes
• Habitat for native insects and pollinators

Appearance:

Growth habit:
Small tree with a stout trunk and a compact canopy of long, pendulous, weeping branchlets.

Branches:
Grey-green to yellow-green, deeply grooved and almost leafless. Young stems are marked with distinctive vertical orange stripes. Older branches become grey-brown with raised rings at the nodes.

Leaves:
Small and short-lived. Present mainly on young growth before being reduced to tiny scales on mature stems.

Flowers:
Dense hanging racemes of pea flowers. Flowers are whitish to pale lavender with darker violet or lavender markings and veins.

Fruit:
Small hairy pods, obliquely obovate in shape, containing one to three mottled seeds. The pods retain dried floral parts and often persist on the plant.

Ecology:
A nitrogen-fixing member of the pea family that enriches surrounding soils. The flowers provide nectar and pollen for native insects and bees.

Associated habitats:
Grey scrub, dry river terraces, rocky outcrops, steep mountain slopes, alluvial fans and open dry shrubland.

How to grow:
Plant in full sun in a warm, dry position with excellent drainage. Once established it is drought tolerant and hardy, but it should not be transplanted or subjected to root disturbance. Best suited to regions with low humidity.

Propagation:
Readily grown from fresh seed after scarification or hot-water treatment. Semi-hardwood cuttings can be struck, though success rates are generally lower.

Cultural use:
Part of New Zealand’s unique broom flora and an important component of the dry eastern South Island ecosystems.

Garden value:
One of the most beautiful native broom species, prized for its graceful weeping habit, banded stems and masses of delicate lavender flowers. An outstanding specimen tree for dry gardens, rocky landscapes and native collections.