''Jacksonia scoparia'', commonly known as dogwood (from its strong odour when burning), is a native

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of a pea-flowered, greyish, leafless,

broom A broom (also known in some forms as a broomstick) is a cleaning tool consisting of usually stiff fibers (often made of materials such as plastic, hair, or corn husks) attached to, and roughly parallel to, a cylindrical handle, the broomstick. I ...

-like shrub or small

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

that occurs in the south east of

Queensland, Australia ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

and eastern

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

Description

''Jacksonia scoparia'' grows as a shrub or small tree, reaching 12 m in height. Its grey bark is rough with furrows.

Taxonomy

Scottish botanist Robert Brown described the dogwood in 1811 in

Rees's Cyclopædia Rees's ''Cyclopædia'', in full ''The Cyclopædia; or, Universal Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, and Literature'' was an important 19th-century British encyclopaedia edited by Rev. Abraham Rees (1743–1825), a Presbyterian minister and scholar w ...

, from material sent by John White and

George Caley George Caley (10 June 1770 – 23 May 1829) was an English botanist and explorer, active in Australia for the majority of his career. Early life Caley was born in Craven, Yorkshire, England, the son of a horse-dealer. He was educated at the ...

to Kew Garden. The genus name honours George Jackson and the species name is derived from the foliage, which resembles Scotch broom (''

Cytisus scoparius ''Cytisus scoparius'' ( syn. ''Sarothamnus scoparius''), the common broom or Scotch broom, is a deciduous leguminous shrub native to western and central Europe. In Britain and Ireland, the standard name is broom; this name is also used for oth ...

''). Jenny Chappill classified it in Group 4 within the genus, along with '' Jacksonia chappilliae'', '' Jacksonia rhadinoclona'' and '' Jacksonia stackhousei''—all from eastern Australia. Dogwood Creek in Queensland was named after the profusion of the plant in the area by explorer

Ludwig Leichhardt Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig Leichhardt (), known as Ludwig Leichhardt, (23 October 1813 – c. 1848) was a German explorer and naturalist, most famous for his exploration of northern and central Australia.Ken Eastwood,'Cold case: Leichhardt's dis ...

on 23 October 1844 during his expedition from

Moreton Bay Moreton Bay is a bay located on the eastern coast of Australia from central Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources. The waters of Moreton Bay are a popular destination for recreational anglers and are ...

to Port Essington (now Darwin, Northern Territory).

Distribution and habitat

It is often seen growing on high exposed ridges in and around the

Oxley Wild Rivers National Park The Oxley Wild Rivers National Park is a protected national park that is located in the Northern Tablelands region of New South Wales, Australia in the Port Macquarie-Hastings City Council and Walcha Shire councils. The park is situated north ...

on the

Northern Tablelands (New South Wales) The Northern Tablelands, also known as the New England Tableland, is a plateau and a region of the Great Dividing Range in northern New South Wales, Australia. It includes the New England Range, the narrow highlands area of the New England regio ...

. The yellow 'pea'-type flowers appear in October and November in racemes from the upper branches.

Uses and cultivation

Its tendency to flower profusely makes ''J. scoparia'' an attractive subject for the garden. It was introduced into cultivation in England in 1803. It can be grown in sun or part-shaded positions. During

drought A drought is defined as drier than normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D. Jiang, A. Khan, W. Pokam Mba, D. Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, an ...

s, dogwood has provided a useful fodder that is relished by

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult ma ...

. Propagation is relatively easy from seed following pre-treatment with boiling water (similar to other members of the pea family). Cuttings also strike reasonably readily.Wrigley, John W.; Fagg, Murray, Australian Native Plants : Cultivation, Use in Landscaping and Propagation, Reed Books, Kew, Victoria, 1997,

References

External links

The Australasian Virtual Herbarium – Occurrence data for ''Jacksonia scoparia''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3008113 Fabales of Australia Flora of New South Wales Flora of Queensland scoparia Taxa named by Robert Brown (botanist, born 1773) Plants described in 1811