Sophora molloyi

Plant Characteristics

Habit		shrub
Height:	⇕	1.2 m"m" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 1.2. to 3 m"m" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 3.
Width:	⇔	1.2 m"m" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 1.2. to 3 m"m" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 3.
Lifespan:	⌛	perennial
Origin:	✈	Cook strait region, New Zealand.
Poisonous:	☠	All parts are poisonous
Bloom:	❀	early spring, early winter, mid winter, late winter

Cultivation

Exposure:	☼	sun, part-sun
Water:	◍	moist, moderate, dry
Features:	✓	evergreen, flowers, birds, wildlife, bees, bonsai
Minimum Temp:	☃	-10°C14 °F <br />263.15 K <br />473.67 °R <br />
USDA Zones:		8 to 10
Flower features:	❀	yellow

Scientific Names

Fabaceae >

Sophora >

Molloyi >

S. molloyi or Cook Strait Kowhai is a medium sized shrub natively found only on islands in and around Cook Strait, New Zealand. It commonly grows in inhospitable, dry, exposed places. Today there is many different cultivars of it available throughout New Zealand.

Cultivation

S. molloyi is best planted in a sunny or semi shaded position with moist, free draining soil.

Propagation

The seeds need to be treated specially to make them grow. In nature the hard outer shell of the Kowhai seed erodes away as it tumbles down streams, so the shell needs to be damaged somehow to allow water to soak into it. To allow this, one can take small nicks out of the shell using a pair of nail clippers or some similar instrument. After the chitting, the seed needs to be placed in a container of water to soak for a night.
The seeds are best planted in a coarse mix to allow for good drainage, this prevents rotting or fungal infections.
The germination period is 14-21 days.

S. molloyi can be grown from cuttings during autumn and early winter. They will take about 60-100 days to root and can be planted out in spring.

Pests and diseases

The Kowhai caterpillar is a bright-green and black caterpillar that strips the leaves of the kowhai. The treatment for such a problem is the use of an insecticide such as Orthene (NZ), Mavrik (NZ), Shield (NZ) or Super Shield (NZ).

Cultivars

• S. molloyi 'Dragon's Gold'
• S. molloyi 'Chevalica'

Gallery

• 

  photo 1

• 

  photo 2

• 

  photo 3

References

• Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963

External links

• w:Sophora molloyi. Some of the material on this page may be from Wikipedia, under the Creative Commons license.
• Sophora molloyi QR Code (Size 50, 100, 200, 500)