Cook Strait kōwhai
Sophora molloyi | Cook Strait kōwhai, Molloy’s kōwhai
An attractive, smaller kōwhai with a bushy green form and long, slender pinnate leaves. Famed for its uniquely beautiful, bell-shaped flowers that appear in early winter and again in spring, it brings distinctive character to a garden. This semi-deciduous (depending on winter severity) small tree naturally occurs in coastal scrub on exposed maritime sites. It can grow as a bushy, spreading tree up to 6 meters tall and 4 meters wide. It produces pendulous clusters of golden-yellow flowers attracting nectar-seeking birds. A dense, widely spreading, cold and wind-tolerant grower, often used in native and revegetation plantings, for winter color, as a backdrop, in coastal gardens, or clipped as a hedge. Its prolific deep yellow flowers can sometimes be almost hidden within the foliage in winter, making it a great border plant for both textural contrast and blooms.
typical habitat.
coastal scrub
cliff tops
drainage.
dry
free draining
well drained
moist
sun.
full sun
partial shade
mature specifications.
height | 3m
width | 3m
pollinators calendar.
flowering | April – October
fruiting | June – May
did you know?
Cook Strait kōwhai has a particularly limited distribution, occurring naturally only on islands within Cook Strait and along exposed headlands of the southern Wellington coast. This reflects its adaptation to the harsh, windy, and often dry conditions of these maritime environments.