Classification
Class
Magnoliopsida Brongn.
Order
Fabales Bromhead
Family
Leguminosae
Genus
Sophora L.
 Nomenclature
Scientific Name:
Sophora fulvida (Allan) Heenan & de Lange in Heenan et al., New Zealand J. Bot. 39: 38 (2001)
Synonymy:
  • ≡ Sophora microphylla var. fulvida Allan, Fl. New Zealand 1, 370 (1961)
  • ≡ Sophora microphylla var. fulvida (Allan) Yakovlev (1967)
Vernacular Name(s):
Waitakere kowhai
 Description

Small to moderate tree, up to 10 m high, with 1 main trunk or several prominent main branches; main branches upright to spreading. Divaricating and/or strongly flexuose juvenile branchlets absent; branchlets densely pubescent, becoming glabrous with age; hairs appressed, decumbent, or spreading, predominantly straight or sometimes twisted. Seedlings and juveniles moderately to densely leafy, leaves with increasing numbers of leaflets. Leaflets on juveniles 4.0-6.6 × 2.0-3.0 mm, elliptic, elliptic-oblong to narrowly obovate, ± glabrous, to sparsely, and then moderately pubescent, crowded, often overlapping. Leaves on adults up to 14 cm long, imparipinnate, petioles and rachides channelled above, leaflets 61-91. Leaflets on adults 1.8-7.5 × 1.2-4.5 mm, elliptic to elliptic-oblong, occasionally narrowly obovate, sometimes ± orbicular, distal leaflets usually smaller than proximal leaflets, often crowded and sometimes overlapping, adaxial surface dull green, green, to slightly grey-green, abaxial surface lighter than adaxial surface and slightly concave; apices retuse, obtuse to subacute; bases obtuse; sessile, or occasionally with petiolules up to 0.3 mm long on leaflets > 6 mm long; margin often thickened on abaxial surface; petioles, rachides, petiolules, and leaflets usually ± pubescent or villous, hairs 0.2-0.6 mm long, appressed, decumbent, or spreading, predominantly straight or sometimes twisted. Inflorescences racemose, with up to 7 flowers; peduncle and rachis 14-35 mm long; pedicels up to 20 mm long, each subtended by a bract; bracts 2-3 mm long; peduncles, rachides, pedicels, bracts, and calyces moderately to densely pubescent, hairs brown, appressed, decumbent, or spreading. Calyx 10-13 × 8-15 mm, cupulate, rim shallowly lobed, with deeper notch adjacent to standard. Corolla yellow; keel petal blade 31-40 × 9-14 mm, wing petal blade 25-40 × 7-12 mm, standard petal blade 23-35 × 11-18 mm; petals with distinct claws, 4.0- 6.5 mm long. Stipe 7-9 mm long, glabrous to sparsely pubescent. Ovary 15-21 mm long, densely pubescent; hairs 0.4-0.7 mm long, off-white to light brown, appressed, decumbent, or spreading, straight or sometimes twisted. Style 6-12 mm long, glabrous to sparsely pubescent. Stigma fringed with short hairs. Filaments 25-35 mm long. Anthers 1.8-2.0 × 0.9-1.0 mm. Fruit 60-190 mm long, 4-winged, brown, sparsely to moderately pubescent, with up to 11 seeds. Seeds 5.0-7.5 × 4.0-5.2 mm, oblong, yellow to yellow-brown. FL Oct-Nov; FT Jan-May.

[Reproduced from Heenan et al. (2001, New Zealand J. Bot. 39: 17–53) with permission from The Royal Society of New Zealand.]

 Biostatus
Indigenous (Endemic)
 Bibliography
de Lange, P.J.; Norton, D.A.; Courtney, S.P.; Heenan, P.B.; Barkla, J.W.; Cameron, E.K.; Hitchmough, R.; Townsend, A.J. 2009: Threatened and uncommon plants of New Zealand (2008 revision). New Zealand Journal of Botany 47: 61–96. [Naturally uncommon]
de Lange, P.J.; Norton, D.A.; Heenan, P.B.; Courtney, S.P.; Molloy, B.P.J.; Ogle, C.C.; Rance, B.D. 2004: Threatened and uncommon plants of New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Botany 42(1): 45–76.
de Lange, P.J.; Rolfe, J.R.; Barkla J.W.; Courtney, S.P.; Champion, P.D.; Perrie, L.R.; Beadel, S.N.; Ford, K.A.; Breitwieser, I.; Schönberger, I.; Hindmarsh-Walls, R.; Heenan, P.B.; Ladley, K. 2018: Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2017. New Zealand Threat Classification Series. No. 22. [Naturally Uncommon]
de Lange, P.J.; Rolfe, J.R.; Champion, P.D.; Courtney, S.P.; Heenan, P.B.; Barkla, J.W.; Cameron, E.K.; Norton, D.A.; Hitchmough, R.A. 2013: Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2012. New Zealand Threat Classification Series 3. Department of Conservation, Wellington. [Naturally Uncommon]
Heenan, P.B.; de Lange, P.J.; Wilton, A.D. 2001: Sophora (Fabaceae) in New Zealand: taxonomy, distribution, and biogeography. New Zealand Journal of Botany 39(1): 17–53.