A small to medium, open shrub, 3-4m high, with younger stems densely covered with short silver grey hairs.
Weed Category:
Weed:
No
Form or habit:
Shrub
Family:
Fabaceae
Leaf:
Pinnate, 8-22cm long, with nine to 19 egg shaped leaflets, 1.5-4 x 1.2-3cm, covered with silver grey, woolly hairs.
Flower conspicuous:
Conspicuous
Flower colour:
Yellow
Flower description:
Bright yellow pea flowers, borne on erect terminal racemes. August.
Fruit conspicuous:
Conspicuous
Fruit colour:
Brown, Green
Fruit:
Fruit description:
Green maturing to brown, pendulous, densely hairy pods, 20 x 0.6-1cm, deeply constricted between the seed to resemble a string of beads. Contains brown, globular seed.
Habitat:
Coastal dune, grassland.
Distribution
Queensland, New South Wales, Northern Territory, New Guinea, Malesia.
Food source for:
Toxicity:
No toxicity known
Origin:
Australia, New Guinea, Malesia.
Notes:
Will tolerate salt laden winds and would be useful for dune restoration or gardens with deep sandy soil. Propagate from scarified seed.
Information sources:
Atlas of Living Australia (2022) Sophora tomentosa L., Townsend K. & the Society for Growing Australian Plant Townsville Branch Inc. (1994) Across the Top: Gardening with Australian Plants in the tropics.
