General Description: An erect, spiny shrub, to 2 m tall, with spine-tipped ‘leaves’ along ridged, more or less hairless branchlets, Small orange-yellow egg-and-bacon flowers in spring. Leaves have a spiny tip and venation is obscure.
Flowers and Fruit: Deep yellow pea flowers, with dark red near the centre, to 5 mm wide, Flowers from August to January. Fruit is a reddish coloured small triangular seed pod about 12 x 6 mm.
Site Preference and Tolerances: Suited to a well drained position.
Life Span: Short-lived (less than 20 years) but easily regenerates.
Wildlife Value: Butterfly attracting. Forms a small prickly bush which is a wonderful refuge for small wildlife such as reptiles, small marsupials and small ground feeding birds.
Other Values and Uses: Adds nitrogen to the soil and forms an attractive compact plant that makes a good groundcover and can be used to stabilise poor sites. Excellent for rockeries and withstands light pruning.
Other Scientific Names: Daviesia ulicina
Other Common Names: Bugger Bush
Germination Information: Need to break seed dormancy and heat treatment using just boiled water is usually used. I prefer to pour just boiled water over the seed and leave it for at least half an hour to ensure the seedcoat is cracked and the seed has taken in some water. We have found that this species readily grows from natural regeneration once it is established.