Plough-Breaker Seed - Erythrina zeyheri - Indigenous Shrub Seed

This is a strange plant-most of it is underground! It is a very low growing, deciduous plant whose woody stem only extends a few inches above ground. This shrublet will not reach more than 30-60cm in height. Shoots form every year from the underground stems and die down in winter. This plant has an enormous underground rootstock in which it stores food.

The large leaves are compound, with three leaflets, and covered with large, recurved prickles on the midrib and larger side veins. They are light green and covered by rough hairs. The leaves are long-stalked and increase in size as the summer progresses. It produces showy scarlet flowers forming upright inflorescences on long stalks over several weeks in summer.

The fruit is a smooth black pod with a few orange-red seeds. The common name refers to the large tuberous rootstock which damages the ploughs that farmers use to prepare their lands. In the colonial days, asthma sufferers smoked the underground portion of this plant. It makes a very interesting potted plant when grown in a large pot.

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