Family | Fabaceae |
Description | Fast growing, spindly shrub with long, little-branched upright stems to 2m. Compared to the coastal forms the inland forms tend to have longer, narrower leaflets that are sometimes grey or bluish in colour, and paler flower colour. |
Flowering time | Late winter-early spring. |
Distribution & botanical details | click here for information on the overall species. The inland forms are found on the slopes and plains west of the Dividing Range. |
Vegetation communities | Heath and dry sclerophyll forest. |
Soil types/ecological niche | Most common on sandstone ridges. Acts as both a primary coloniser as well as a long term component of the understory. Regenerates from the base following drought, fire or severe grazing. |
Values/uses | |
-habitat values | The foliage and pods are relished by kangaroos and wallabies. |
-amenity/ornamental values | Beautiful in flower. Useful as a background plant behind low shrubs, annuals and herbaceous borders. Faintly but pleasantly scented, the scent similar to that of wisteria. Useful coppicing ability. |
-economic/functional values | Extremely useful for revegetation of eroded sites, quarries and mines with rocky, skeletal substrates without topsoil. |
Tolerances | |
-water deficit | above-ground parts die off when soil water deficits are severe, but the plant recovers when moisture returns. |
-compaction | low |
-waterlogging | low |
-shade | average-high |
-soil salinity | not known |
-salt spray | probably low |
-pH | 5-7 |
-minimum temperature | -5 degrees |
Seed and germination details | |
-avge no. seeds per gram | 200 |
-viability period | long |
-dormancy | hard seed coat |
-treatment | boiling water 90 degrees for 1 minute |
-days from first to last germination at 25 degrees | 5-25 |
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