Family: Fabaceae (peas)

Status:

Description:
An evergreen spreading shrub 1 to 3m high. Leaves are compound, with 5 to 11 very narrow pointed leaflets, dotted with tiny oil glands, bristly to the touch and sharp-pointed. The typical pea flowers are fragrant, a distinctive pale blue colour, and clustered near the tips of the branches. Small black pods contain a single seed.

Preferred habitat and impacts:
Around towns, particularly in near-coastal locations. Invades native vegetation and can become dominant in the understorey.

Dispersal:
Still sold by nurseries. Spread from seed in dumped garden waste, and in contaminated soil, sometimes by ants. Seeds remain viable for a long time, and germinate profusely after fire, or disturbance.

Look-alikes:
Flowers are similar in shape to those of native peas, but the pale blue colour is not shared by any local native peas. Purple flowered native pea shrubs in the region are Indigofera australis and several species of Hovea, none of which are very similar. When not flowering, young plants could be mistaken for a pine tree seedling (also a weed).

Control
Cut stems may re-sprout, and this species will re-sprout after fire. Cut and paint mature plants. Seedlings may be hand-pulled or dug. Spraying is easier if seedlings are abundant.