''Sophora microphylla'',
common name kōwhai, is a
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
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...
in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
Fabaceae,
native
Native may refer to:
People
* Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth
* Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory
** Native Americans (disambiguation)
In arts and entert ...
to New Zealand. Growing to tall and broad, it is an
evergreen
In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...
shrub or small tree. Each leaf is long with up to 40 pairs of shiny oval leaflets. In early spring it produces many racemes of pea-like yellow flowers.
Other common names include weeping kōwhai and small-leaved kōwhai. It is also referred to as South Island Kowhai although this name is misleading since it is widely distributed all over New Zealand including the North Island, though less common in Northland.
The
specific epithet ''microphylla'' means "small-leaved".
''S. microphylla'' has smaller leaves (around 3–6 mm long by 2–5 mm wide) and flowers (1.8-5.0 cm long), than the other well known species ''
Sophora tetraptera
''Sophora tetraptera'', commonly known as large-leaved kōwhai, grows naturally only in the central east of the North Island in New Zealand. ''S. tetraptera'' has larger more widely spaced leaves than the other seven species of kōwhai.
Etym ...
'' (large-leaved kōwhai).
When young ''S. microphylla'' has a
divaricating
Divaricate means branching, or having separation or a degree of separation. The angle between branches is wide.
In botany
In botany, the term is often used to describe the branching pattern of plants. Plants are said to be divaricating when the ...
and bushy growth habit with many interlacing branches, which begins to disappear as the tree ages.
The
cultivar
A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...
'Hilsop' has gained the
Royal Horticultural Society
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity.
The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nor ...
's
Award of Garden Merit.
Its nectar is toxic to the honeybee.
Pre-human forests
Studies of accumulated dried vegetation in the pre-human mid-late
Holocene
The Holocene ( ) is the current geological epoch. It began approximately 11,650 cal years Before Present (), after the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene togeth ...
period suggests a low ''Sophora microphylla'' forest ecosystem in
Central Otago that was used and perhaps maintained by giant
moa
Moa are extinct giant flightless birds native to New Zealand.
The term has also come to be used for chicken in many Polynesian cultures and is found in the names of many chicken recipes, such as
Kale moa and Moa Samoa.
Moa or MOA may also refe ...
birds, for both nesting material and food. Neither the forests nor moa existed when European settlers came to the area in the 1850s.
See also
*
Kōwhai
Kōwhai ( or ) are small woody legume trees within the genus ''Sophora'' in the family Fabaceae that are native to New Zealand. There are eight species, with ''Sophora microphylla'' and '' S. tetraptera'' being the most recognised as large trees. ...
References
microphylla
Trees of New Zealand
Divaricating plants
{{Sophoreae-stub