Plant Selection - Silky Golden Tip (Goodia pubescens)

Silky Golden Tip (Goodia pubescens)

Features

Light open small shrub 1-3m with clover like foliage on hairy brown/red stems.

Particularly found in forest and once a subspecies of Golden Tip/Clover Tree (Goodia lotifolia), but, now its own species. So it shares many characteristics, but, has hairier and softer stems and smaller flowers. Rare and endangered in Victoria, but, abundant in some Kinglake locations eg Wombelano, KNP and Bollygum Park.

September to November bright yellow flowers often with red/brown splotch in showy loose racemes. Pods flat, oblong 25mmm or more long.

Habitat

Attracts Butterflies and insect and seed eating birds. Food source for bees and other pollinators.                                   

Uses

Garden plant and habitat for indigenous wildlife. Soil improvement, adds beneficial nitrogen to the soil. Hedge or screen.

Propagation

Scarified seed, stem, suckering, or root cuttings.

Notes

Silky Golden Tip (and Golden Tip) can be distinguished from weedy Broom species Montpellier Broom (Genista monspessulana) which has a ridged usually woodier stem.

They also have a different arrangement of the trifoliate leaf (leaf divided into three leaflets)

On both Golden Tips the three leaflets are of equal size whereas on Montpellier Broom the middle leaf is usually larger.

Also, their pea shaped flowers are yellow with a red tinge to their base and their newer stems and branches are red to red/brown.