Colutea L.

A name used by the ancient Greek botanist Theophrastus for a tree that grew on Lipari Island.

Deciduous shrubs or small trees. Leaves alternate, odd-pinnate, with mostly 2-7 pairs of leaflets, or occasionally with only 3 leaflets. Leaflets entire, opposite, ovate to roundish, mostly hairy below. Flowers in clusters, each to about 2.5 cm long. Stamens 10, 9 fused,1 free. Fruit balloon-like, translucent.

Grown for the flowers, foliage and unusual inflated fruit pods.

28 species from China, the Himalaya, E and NE Africa and the Mediterranean.

Seed and semi-hardwood cuttings.

Used as a binding plant for erosion control and land reclamation.

Inflated balloon-like fruits.

Browicz (1963).

Source: Spencer, R. (2002). Fabaceae. In: Spencer, R.. Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. Volume 3. Flowering plants. Dicotyledons. Part 2. The identification of garden and cultivated plants. University of New South Wales Press.

Hero image
kingdom Plantae
phylum   Tracheophyta
class    Magnoliopsida
superorder     Rosanae
order      Fabales
family       Fabaceae
Higher taxa
Subordinate taxa
species         Colutea arborescens L.