Carmichaelia odorata
Common name
Scented broom, leafy broom
Synonyms
Carmichaelia pilosa Benth.; Carmichaelia glabrata G.Simpson; Carmichaelia angustata Kirk; Carmichaelia angustata var. pubescens G.Simpson
Family
Fabaceae
Flora category
Vascular – Native
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Trees & Shrubs - Dicotyledons
NVS code
The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.
CARODO
Chromosome number
2n = 32
Current conservation status
The threat classification status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2017 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS) – more information about this can be found on the NZTCS website This report includes a statistical summary and brief notes on changes since 2012 and replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Authors: By Peter J. de Lange, Jeremy R. Rolfe, John W. Barkla, Shannel P. Courtney, Paul D. Champion, Leon R. Perrie, Sarah M. Beadel, Kerry A. Ford, Ilse Breitwieser, Ines Schönberger, Rowan Hindmarsh-Walls, Peter B. Heenan and Kate Ladley. Please note, threat classifications are often suggested by authors when publications fall between NZTCS assessment periods – a suggested threat classification status has not been assessed by the NZTCS panel.
Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
2017 | Not Threatened
Previous conservation statuses
2012 | Not Threatened
2009 | Not Threatened
2004 | Not Threatened
Brief description
Shrub with many flattened green twigs in fans. Twigs 1-2mm wide, with wavy edge. Leaves with 1-7 leaflets, scattered along twigs but absent from older branches. Flowers fragrant, pea-like, small, white and purple, clustered in erect short spikes. Fruit a small dry sharp-tipped pod containing 1-3 hard seeds.
Distribution
Endemic. New Zealand: North Island (southern part), South Island (northern and western parts)
Habitat
Mostly associated with rivers terraces, flats and streams and forest margins.
Features
Shrub, up to 3-8 × 2-3 m. Branches up to 100 mm diameter, ascending and horizontal. Cladodes 40.0-250.0 × 1.0-2.3 mm, erect and spreading, often divaricate, linear, striate, compressed, green, frequently hairy when young, glabrous when mature, apex subacute; leaf nodes 5-19 mm. Leaves 1-7-foliolate, present on seedlings and adults, terminal leaflet larger; lamina 2-13 × l-8(-13) mm, obovate to broad-elliptic, rarely orbicular, fleshy, green, surfaces hairy or glabrous, apex emarginate, base cuneate; petiole 5—25 mm long, glabrous or hairy, green; petiolule < 0.3 mm long, glabrous or hairy, light green. Leaves on cladodes reduced to scales, < 0.8 mm long, broad-triangular, glabrous, apex acute. Stipules c.1 × c.1 mm, free, triangular, upper surface glabrous, lower surface hairy, apex subacute, margin hairy. Inflorescence a raceme, 1 per node, each with 4-40 flowers. Peduncle 4-10 mm long, glabrous, green. Bracts < 0.8 mm long, triangular, glabrous, brown, apex acute to subacute, margins hairy. Pedicel c. 1 mm long, glabrous, green. Bracteoles < 0.5 mm long, at top of pedicel or on receptacle, green and sometimes flushed red, glabrous, apex obtuse, margin hairy. Calyx 1.5-2.0 × 1.0-1.2 mm, campanulate, green, outer surface glabrous. Calyx lobes 0.2-0.3 mm long, triangular, green and usually flushed red, inner surface hairy, appressed to corolla, apex subacute to obtuse. Standard 3.5-4.0 × 2.5-3.5 mm, broad-obovate, patent, positioned towards front of keel, keeled, apex emarginate, margins flattened; central part of inner and outer surfaces purple or red-purple, margins white, sometimes purple-veined; claw c. 1 mm long, pale green. Wings 3.5-4.0 × 0.9-1.1 mm, oblong, similar in length to keel, inner and outer surfaces white, sometimes purple-veined, apex obtuse; auricle 0.2-0.4 mm long, triangular, white, apex obtuse; claw 1.3-1.5 mm long, pale green. Keel 3.5-4 × 1.4-1.7 mm, apex obtuse; distal area of inner surface purple, proximal area white; outer surface white, flushed purple in distal part and sometimes purple-veined; auricle 0.2—0.4 mm long, triangular, white, apex obtuse; claw 1.3-1.5 mm long, pale green. Stamens 3.5-4.0 mm long; dorsal filaments connate for c.7/8 of length, outer stamens free for 0.2-0.5 mm. Pistil 3.7-4.2 mm long, exserted beyond stamens, glabrous; ovules 4-11. Pods 5.0-9.0 × 1.5-.0 mm, oblong, broad-elliptic or ovate, laterally compressed, erect, light grey or brown, valves dehiscent in distal part; beak 1.0-2.5 mm long, stout, pungent-tipped. Seeds 1-3 per pod, 2.0-3.7 × 1.6-2.4 mm, broad-oblong to broad-elliptic, light brown or tan.
Similar taxa
Allied to Carmichaelia arborea from which it differs in having a longer peduncle and rachis, more, smaller flowers with the keel 3.5-4.0 mm cf. 5-6 mm long, and the standard with obvious red-purple coloration, and smaller pods.
Flowering
September - February
Flower colours
Violet/Purple, White
Fruiting
January - September
Life cycle
Seeds are possibly dispersed by wind and granivory (Thorsen et al., 2009).
Propagation technique
Easily grown from seed and hardwood cuttings.
Etymology
carmichaelia: After Carmichael, a botanist
odorata: Scented
Attribution
Description from Heenan (1996).
References and further reading
Heenan, P.B. 1996: A taxonomic revision of Carmichaelia (Fabaceae - Galegeae) in New Zealand (part II). New Zealand Journal of Botany 34: 157-177. For full synonymy see this paper.
Thorsen, M. J.; Dickinson, K. J. M.; Seddon, P. J. 2009. Seed dispersal systems in the New Zealand flora. Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics 2009 Vol. 11 No. 4 pp. 285-309