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Petteria ramentacea (Sieber) Presl

Dalmatian Laburnum

Modern name

Petteria ramentacea (Sieber) C.Presl

Synonyms

Cytisus ramentaceus Sieber; C. weldenii Vis.

A deciduous, tree-like shrub of sturdy habit, 6 or 8 ft high. Leaves trifoliolate, with a slender stalk 1 to 112 in. long; leaflets oval or obovate, very shortly stalked, 1 to 2 in. long, half as much wide, rounded at the apex, glabrous, entire. Racemes terminating short twigs of the year, erect, 112 to 3 in. long; flower-stalks short, hairy. Flowers fragrant, densely arranged, yellow, 34 in. long, resembling those of a broom; calyx tubular, downy; standard petal erect. Seed-pod 112 to 2 in. long, pointed at the end, dark brown when ripe, containing five or seven seeds.

A native of W. Yugloslavia from the region of Split southwards, mainly near the coast but extending inland into Hercegovina and Montenegro; also of northern and central Albania. It can be seen growing on the sides of the beautiful road that climbs from Kotor to Cetinje, the old capital of Montenegro. It was introduced in 1837 but is not common. It is perfectly hardy and flowers regularly in May and June, and ripens seeds which (like those of Laburnum) are poisonous.


Genus

Petteria

Other species in the genus

[No species article available]