Sophora tetraptera
| Sophora tetraptera | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 8 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Evergreen | |
| Height: | 33' |
| Width: | 20' |
| Speed: | Slow |
| Blooms: | Late Spring |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Nitrogen Fixer | |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Sophora tetraptera (common name: kowhai)
Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a greenhouse[1]. Pre-soak stored seed for 12 hours in hot (not boiling) water and sow in late winter in a greenhouse[2]. Prick out the seedlings as soon as they are large enough to handle into individual pots in the greenhouse, and grow them on for 2 years under protected conditions. Plant them out into their permanent positions in early summer of their third year.
Cuttings of young shoots with a heel, July/August in a frame[3].
Air-layering[1].
Cultivation: Succeeds in a well-drained moderately fertile soil in full sun[1]. Requires a warm sheltered position[4]. It grows best in the warmer areas of the country where the wood will be more readily ripened and better able to withstand winter cold[5].
Hardy to about -10°c[1], it succeeds in the open in southern and south-western Britain but is best grown against a wall elsewhere[3][6]. Plants are of slow to moderate growth[4].
In good summers plants set abundant seed in this country[5].
Plants should be container-grown and planted out whilst young, older plants do not transplant well[5].
Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[1].
This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[1].
Range: New Zealand and S. America - Chile.
Habitat: Streamsides, forest margins and lowland on North Island in New Zealand, from East Cape to latitude 40° 30's[7].
Usage: Wood - compact, dense, heavy, of great strength, tough, elastic, extremely durable. Used for bearings, turnery, cabinet work, ornamental uses etc[8][9][10].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
In Leaf: Evergreen
Seed Ripens: Early Fall-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: The plant contains cytosine, which resembles nicotine and is similarly toxic[11].
Also Known As: Edwardsia grandiflora.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Sheat, Wilfrid. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. St Martin, 1948.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Davis, Brian. Climbers and Wall Shrubs. Viking, 1990.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Grey-Wilson, Christopher and Victoria Matthews. Gardening on Walls. Collins, 1983.
- ↑ Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Shrubs. Pan Books, 1989.
- ↑ Allan, Harry. Flora of New Zealand. Government Printer Publications, 1961.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Reiche, Karl. Flora de Chile.
- ↑ Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.