Psoralea pinnata
Common name
Dally pine
Family
Fabaceae
Flora category
Vascular – Exotic
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.
PSOPIN
Habitat
Terrestrial. Shrublands, especially dry slow growing shrublands, coastal areas, tracksides, road verges, dry gullies, and forest margins. Shrublands
Features
Much-branched shrub or small tree, to approx. 5m high; twigs sparsely to moderately hairy, ribbed. Leaves imparipinnate, sparsely to moderately hairy, petiolate; leaflets filiform, acute to acuminate, in 1~4 opposite pairs, 15~40mm long; stipules connate at base, lanceolate, 3~6mm long. Flowers axillary, solitary or in small clusters amongst leaves; pedicels 3~8mm long; bracts subtending pedicel lanceolate, 4~8mm long; bracteoles connate into a closed cup on the pedicel. Calyx hairy; calyx teeth < tube, triangular; lowest tooth slightly larger. Wings and keel white to pale blue; standard deeper blue or mauve toward apex, 12~18mm long. Pod glabrous, wrinkled, elliptic, 1-seeded, 4~5mm long; seeds smooth, dark brown. (-Webb et. al., 1988)
Flowering
November, December, January
Flower colours
Blue, Violet/Purple
Life cycle
Perennial.
Year naturalised
1870
Origin
South Africa
Reason for introduction
Ornamental
Etymology
pinnata: From the Latin pinna ‘feather’, in botany pinnatus ‘pinnate’ refers an arrangement of leaves, veins or branches in rows along a central axis, similar to the structure of a feather.