Sophora howinsula

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Cladus: Rosids
Cladus: Eurosids I
Ordo: Fabales

Familia: Fabaceae
Subfamilia: Faboideae
Tribus: Sophoreae
Genus: Sophora
Sectio: S. sect. Edwardsia
Species: Sophora howinsula
Name

Sophora howinsula (W.R.B.Oliv.) P.S.Green, J. Arnold Arbor. 51: 204 (1970).
Synonyms

Basionym
Sophora tetraptera var. howinsula W.R.B.Oliv., Trans. & Proc New Zealand Inst. 49: 139 (1917).
Typus: Lord Howe Island, Transit Hill, 1917, W.R.B. Oliver (WELT ?)
Homotypic
Sophora tetraptera subsp. howinsula (W.R.B.Oliv.) Yakovlev, Proc. Leningr. Chem.-Pharm. Inst. 21(4): 57 (1967).
Sophora howinsula (W.R.B.Oliv.) P.C.Tsoong, Acta Phytotax. Sin. 18(1): 72 (1980), comb. superfl.

Distribution
Native distribution areas:

Continental: Australasia
Regional: Australia
Norfolk Islands (Lord Howe Island)

References: Brummitt, R.K. 2001. TDWG – World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, 2nd Edition
References
Primary references

Green, P.S. 1970. J. Arnold Arbor. 51: 204.

Additional references

Orchard, A.E. (ed.) 1994. Flora of Australia. Volume 49. Oceanic Islands 1. 681 pp. Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra. ISBN 0-644-29385-3 PDF Reference page.

Links

International Plant Names Index. 2019. Sophora howinsula. Published online. Accessed: Jan 5 2019.
USDA, ARS, Germplasm Resources Information Network. Sophora howinsula in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service. Accessed: 07-Oct-06.
Govaerts, R. et al. 2019. Sophora howinsula in Kew Science Plants of the World online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2019 Jan 5. Reference page.
Tropicos.org 2019. Sophora howinsula. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2019 Jan 5.

Vernacular names
English: Lord Howe kowhai, lignum vitae

Sophora howinsula, commonly known as lignum vitae or Lord Howe kowhai, is a flowering plant in the legume family. The specific epithet refers to the island to which the species is endemic.[1]
Description

It is a tree, growing to 10 m, sometimes 15 m, in height. The wood is hard and durable and was used for house stumps and fence posts. The pinnate leaves are 5–10 cm long. The 1.5–2 cm long yellow pea flowers are produced in racemose inflorescences. The 7–12 cm long pods each contain 5–10 smooth, orange-brown, ellipsoidal, 7 mm long seeds. The flowering season is from mid-July to mid-September.[1]
Distribution and habitat

The plant is endemic to Australia’s subtropical Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea. It has a locally common, scattered distribution through the island's lowland hills.[1]
References

" Sophora howinsula ". Flora of Australia Online: Data derived from Flora of Australia Volume 49 (1994). Australian Biological Resources Study (ABRS). Retrieved 2014-02-07.