Plants of South Eastern New South Wales

Chamaecytisus palmensis

Flowers and leaves. Photographer Russell Best, Macedon Ranges, Vic

Shrub. Australian Plant Image Index, photographer Murray Fagg, near Coleraine, Vic

Leafy branches with pods. Photographer Jon Sullivan, New Zealand

Common name

Tagasaste, Tree lucerne

Family

Fabaceae

Where found

Open woodland, heath, grassy areas, roadsides, disturbed sites, around old habitations, and along streams and drainage lines. Widespread, mainly north from the ACT.

Notes

Introduced shrub or small tree to 6 m tall. Younger branches softly hairy, olive green to greyish-brown. Leaves alternating up the stems, to 7 cm long, compound, with 3 leaflets, each 1-5 cm long, 4-16 mm wide, upper surface dark green, mostly hairless, lower surface covered in soft hairs, paler green, margins entire, tips pointed. Flowers pea shaped, with 5 cream to white petals, 2 joined together to form the keel. Calyx 9-10 mm long, standard petal 14-17 mm long. Flowers in clusters of 3-7. Flowers Autumn to Spring.

PlantNET description:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Chamaecytisus~palmensis 
(accessed 7 January, 2021)