Gompholobium: The Glory Peas

W. H. (Bill) Payne

To the casual bushwalker of the eastern states of Australia, the dainty Gompholobium species are easily distinguished by their characteristic leaves, three fine leaves appearing to grow from the one point of the stem (except for Gompholobium pinnatum, G.foliolosum and G.glabratum). If in flower, they are a golden yellow and for the two most adored species, Gompholobium latifolium and G.grandiflorum, the largest, showiest pea flowered plants in the bush. Examine a flower and you will find that all ten stamens are free but this is a feature common to many other genera such as Oxylobium, Dillwynia and Pultenaea. A distinctive feature, however, is the calyx which cups the flower, they are deeply cleft into five lobes, dark-coloured on the outside and whitish-tomentose within.

Gompholobium latifolium

If the plant has seed pods on it, you need to be alert to collect them in the first week of December. They are large, inflated, almost globular, containing four or more seeds. There is a creature that makes these round seed capsules its temporary home, devouring the maturing seed. So if you see a small hole in the case, you have been beaten to the seed. I found some seed of Gompholobium latifolium some years ago and grew on some plants. Over the years I have grown many plants to adorn my garden and have a plentiful supply of fresh seed each year. They are easy to germinate; place in a cup, pour boiling water over them and after a week of soaking, plant in any open medium such as coarse sand or as I do, in a mixture of peat moss and perlite.

Gompholobiums are magnificent plants for the garden with the large golden pea flowers to 4 cm across. They are readily cultivated in the sandstone areas of Sydney. I am referring here of course to the larger species Gompholobium latifolium to just over a metre high and Gompholobium grandiflorum, a much daintier bush, to less than one metre high. The other eastern species are much smaller and weaker shrubs.

From Australian Plants, journal of the Association of Societies for Growing Australian Plants, June 1989.

Australian Plants online - 2007
Association of Societies for Growing Australian Plants