Family: Fabaceae (peas)

Status:

Description:
A small spreading evergreen tree to 3-4m high with rough yellow-grey bark and velvety hairy young growth. Leaves are composed of 3 greyish green equal sized leaflets, which are slightly paler beneath. Flowers are white, in small clusters in the leaf axils. Flat pea-like pods are green, ripening to black, and seeds shiny and black, like wattle seed.

Preferred habitat and impacts:
Tagasaste was promoted as a fodder plant in the 1980’s and was widely planted on rural properties as a result. It is not often seen in gardens, as without severe pruning, it becomes straggly and unattractive in a few years.
A possible "sleeper" weed on the coast, but it is already extensively naturalised in non-arid inland areas of Victoria, SA and NSW. It is capable of naturalising on the coast, although grazing pressure on seedlings by rabbits, stock and wallabies often prevents it from becoming established. It dislikes "wet feet" and is usually found in dry sites.
The seed is poisonous. Like wattles, tagasaste can accumulate huge stores of long-lived seed in the soil, to germinate after fire or other disturbance. Dense infestations will smother native vegetation, and its nitrogen-fixing ability will increase soil fertility. This can help other weeds to colonise.
Flowers in early spring and is a useful nectar source for bees and migrating honeyeaters.

Dispersal:
Explosive release of seeds from pods in hot weather. Ants.

Look-alikes:
Young non-flowering plants could be mistaken for cape broom (Genista monspessulana ) which is also a weed. Broom has a dense, compact growth habit, while tagasaste is more open and spreading.

Control:
Hand pull seedlings. Mature plants usually do not re-sprout if cut right to the base, though they do recover from very heavy pruning.