''Sophora molloyi'', the Cook Strait kōwhai, Molloy's kōwhai or Stephen's Island kōwhai, is one of 8 species of

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. ...

native to

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

, and grows naturally around the

Cook Strait Cook Strait ( mi, Te Moana-o-Raukawa) separates the North and South Islands of New Zealand. The strait connects the Tasman Sea on the northwest with the South Pacific Ocean on the southeast. It is wide at its narrowest point,McLintock, A ...

region. It was first described as a species in 2001 and named after Brian Molloy of

Landcare Research Landcare may refer to: * Australian Landcare Council, a now superseded Australian government body * Landcare in Australia, umbrella approach promoting land protection in Australia * Landcare Research, New Zealand *The Landcare movement in Australi ...

, who was a researcher and scientist there for more than 30 years.

Description

Cook Strait kōwhai forms a small compact bush and can become quite wide but only grows to about head height. It is an early flowering species, normally between April and October. Flowers are yellow and around 3 cm long. Unlike other kōwhai, ''S. molloyi'' retains its leaves all year round, and does not have 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 ...

juvenile stage when grown from seed.

Conservation

Using the New Zealand Threat Classification System, ''S. molloyi'' was rated in 2012 as being "at risk – naturally uncommon". Cook Strait kōwhai was previously rated in 2004 as being at risk due to its restricted range. This classification remains as of 2017.

Cultivation

In horticulture it is sold as the two varieties ''Dragons Gold'' and ''Early Gold'', which were both sourced from Stephens Island and are now popular garden plants. * The cultivar ''Dragons Gold'' was selected by Terry Hatch of Joy Plants and came from material sourced from Stephens Island in the 1950s. The original plant the cultivar was grown from eventually grew to 6 metres in height although 2 m is more usual within the first 10 years. It is an excellent plant for covering difficult banks and places with poor soil and has clusters of bright yellow flowers. The naming of this cultivar commemorates Stephens Island's numerous

tuatara Tuatara (''Sphenodon punctatus'') are reptiles endemic to New Zealand. Despite their close resemblance to lizards, they are part of a distinct lineage, the order Rhynchocephalia. The name ''tuatara'' is derived from the Māori language and m ...

, likening it to an 'isle of dragons'. * The cultivar ''Early Gold'' is an earlier selection made by the late John Goldie, and is again sourced from seedlings raised from Stephens Island. It is similar to ''Dragons Gold'' but has paler, lemony yellow-coloured flowers. This cultivar was under Plant Variety Rights for some time, but these have now expired. ''Sophora molloyi'' makes a good container plant due to its smaller size, because it retains its leaves year-round and flowers over winter when few other plants are flowering.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q7563133 molloyi Trees of New Zealand Taxa named by Peter James de Lange Taxa named by Peter Brian Heenan