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Sophora molloyi
Sophora molloyi, the Cook Strait kōwhai, Molloy's kōwhai or Stephen's Island kōwhai, one of 8 species of kōwhai native to New Zealand, grows naturally around the Cook Strait region. It was first described as a species in 2001 and named after Brian Molloy of Landcare Research, who was a researcher and scientist for more than 30 years.
In horticulture it is sold as the two varieties 'Dragons Gold' and 'Early Gold', which are popular garden plants.
The cultivar 'Dragons Gold' (or 'Dragon's Gold') was selected by Terry Hatch of Joy Plants and came from material sourced from Stephens Island in the 1950s. The original plant the cultivar was grown from eventually grew to 6 metres in height, although 2 m is more usual within the first 10 years. It is an excellent plant for covering difficult banks and places with poor soil and has clusters of bright yellow flowers. The naming of this cultivar commemorates Stephens Island's numerous tuatara, likening it to an 'isle of dragons'.
Sophora alopecuroides · Sophora cassioides · Coastal Kōwhai · Mamani · Sophora fernandeziana · Shrubby sophora · Brush Sophora · Waitakere Kowhai · Godley’s Kōwhai · Lord Howe Kowhai · Western necklacepod · Sophora longicarinata
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Sophora molloyi by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
