Ancient Latin name

Deciduous shrubs or small trees. Bark smooth. Leaves alternate, with 3 almost stalkless, palmately arranged leaflets; stipules absent. Flowers hanging, axillary. Calyx bell-shaped, 5-toothed but more or less 2-lipped. Petals free. Stamens 10, fused. Fruit pod flat, linear, slightly constricted between the seeds.

Small trees grown for the attractive long, pendulous clusters of yellow flowers.

2 species from S Europe.

Species are propagated from seed or hardwood cuttings, hybrids by budding onto seedling stock of L. anagyroides.

Timber extremely hard and sometimes used as a substitute for ebony.

Wisteria-like hanging chains of flowers; leaflets 3, palmately arranged; stamens all united, ovary and pod stalked in the calyx.

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.