Botanical name:

Sophora prostrata

Common name(s):

Prostrate Kowhai

About:

A low bushy shrub that is native to New Zealand, this plant is characterised by its stiff, tightly interlaced, and zigzagging branches. Its yellow flowers, while beautiful, are smaller in size and fewer in number compared to those found in other species of kowhai. This shrub is exceptionally tough and resilient, thriving in exposed, cold, and dry sites where many other plants would struggle to survive. Overall, it is a hardy species well adapted to challenging environments.

Natural habitat:

Occurring on dry grassland and in rocky places.

Growing environment:

Frost, Sun, Drought, Wind & Free draining tolerant.

Endemic distribution:

Confined to the eastern South Island of New Zealand from Marlborough to the Waitaki Valley

Height: 2m

Flowering:
August-October with a yellow, orange coloured flower/s

Fruiting:

October -May with a dry brown pea like seed pod.

Uses:

Bird food / Attractant, Bee food, Riparian plantings & Flowers.

How to grow:

Easily grown from fresh seed, provided the hard seed shell is nicked first with a knife or rubbed with sandpaper to expose the endosperm. Soaking seed treated this way overnight often helps speed up germination. Can be grown with difficulty from cuttings.

** Seed requires scarification before sowing. Mechanical scarification works best for this species. Reasonable results can also be achieved with hot water treatment.