NZ Native Broom

Our native brooms are strange plants. They have few or no leaves. I bought this plant several years ago at a market when it was very small. Over the years it has grown steadily. Last year it produced three flowers. Judging by the flower buds it’s planning on a lot more this season. The flowers are 4-5mm wide. A couple of years ago it boasted three leaves, but hasn’t had any since. (See extra for the extended plant).

There are a number of different species of native broom, depending where they grow. I don’t know which this one is, but it’s not coral broom (Carmichaelia crassicaulis), nor is it dwarf broom (Carmichaelia monroi, 4th extra shot). Both these grow at Porters Pass at the tail end of the Torlesse Range. All three have flowers of a similar colour.

The rarity of these plants became obvious to me when I g**gled C. crassicaulis and found two of my own images used as illustrations.