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Fabaceae FAMILY

Colutea arborescens

Colutea arborescens

Edibility
0/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

The seed is poisonous[1, 2].

Cultivation Details

HabitDeciduous Shrub
GrowthFast

Colutea arborescens is fairly cold-hardy, tolerating temperatures down to about -20°c when dormant[3, 4]. An easily grown plant, it prefers a well-drained soil and a position in full sun, though it tolerates light shade, and can tolerate most soil conditions other than a water-logged soil[5, 4]. It grows well on dry sunny banks[6, 7]. It dislikes strong winds, though another report in the same book says that it it is suitable for maritime plantings (with their salt-laden winds)[4]. In our experience the plants are very subject to wind-rock when grown in a windy site[PFAF]. Tolerates atmospheric pollution[7, 4]. A fast growing plant, thriving on poor soils[7, 4]. Slugs love the young seedlings[PFAF]. A group of plants can be kept to a neat shape and convenient size by pruning back the shoots almost to the old wood every winter[5]. The flowers are produced on the current season's growth[7, 4]. These flowers are very attractive to bees[8]. The plant usually produces seed abundantly[5]. The most distinctive character of the genus is the large, thin-walled, inflated pod, which, when half ripe, may be made to burst with a miniature report when squeezed[5]. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[4]. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[4].

Propagation

Seed - pre-soak for 24 hours in hot water and sow late winter in a greenhouse[9]. Scarification can help speed up the germination process[10]. Germination can be slow and erratic[4], though treated seed usually germinates in 1 - 3 months at 20°c[10]. As soon as they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 7 - 10cm with a heel, mid summer in a frame[11]. Cuttings are not very long-lived[11]. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Colutea+arborescens>

Pollinators

Bees

References

  1. [1]Edible and Medicinal Plants. — Launert. E. · Hamlyn · 1981 · ISBN 0-600-37216-2 ↩︎Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.
  2. [2]A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. — Frohne. D. and Pfänder. J. · Wolfe · 1984 · ISBN 0723408394 ↩︎Brilliant. Goes into technical details but in a very readable way. The best work on the subject that I've come across so far.
  3. [3]Shrubs. — Phillips. R. & Rix. M. · Pan Books · 1989 · ISBN 0-330-30258-2 ↩︎Excellent photographs and a terse description of 1,900 species and cultivars.
  4. [4]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  5. [5]Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. — Bean. W. · Murray · 1981 · ISBN - ↩︎A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.
  6. [6]RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 — F. Chittendon. · Oxford University Press · 1951 · ISBN - ↩︎Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [ 200 ]).
  7. [7]Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. — Thomas. G. S. · Murray · 1992 · ISBN 0-7195-5043-2 ↩︎Contains a wide range of plants with a brief description, mainly of their ornamental value but also usually of cultivation details and varieties.
  8. [8]Garden Plants Valuable to Bees. — International Bee Research Association. · International Bee Research Association. · 1981 · ISBN - ↩︎The title says it all.
  9. [9]The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. — Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. · Athens Ga. Varsity Press · 1987 · ISBN 0942375009 ↩︎A very detailed book on propagating trees. Not for the casual reader.
  10. [10]Growing from Seed. Volume 4. — Bird. R. (Editor) · Thompson and Morgan. · 1990 · ISBN - ↩︎Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. A good article on Yuccas, one on Sagebrush (Artemesia spp) and another on Chaerophyllum bulbosum.
  11. [11]Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. — Sheat. W. G. · MacMillan and Co · 1948 · ISBN - ↩︎A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.
  12. [12]Flowers of the Mediterranean. — Polunin. O. and Huxley. A. · Hogarth Press · 1987 · ISBN 0-7012-0784-1 ↩︎A very readable pocket flora that is well illustrated. Gives some information on plant uses.
  13. [13]A Modern Herbal. — Grieve. · Penguin · 1984 · ISBN 0-14-046-440-9 ↩︎Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
  14. [14]A novel approach to produce oil extraction from non-edible seed Indigofera colutea — Veeranan T.; Ravindran E.; Rajendran A.; Sahadevan R.; Kanna · 2017 · ISBN 10.1080/15567036. ↩︎
  15. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎