Golden Tip

Goodia lotifolia, or Golden Tip, is a tall, pea-flowering shrub endemic to s-e Australia. ‘Goodia’ after Peter Good, a gardener from Kew Gardens who assisted botanist Robert Brown during explorations by Matthew Flinders. ‘Lotifolia’ = lotus-like leaf.

In the wild, it often forms a thicket-like shrub to about 3-4m. There are one or two examples in flower at the moment in Golden Whistler Reserve in McGlone Rd.

The large, yellow, pea-shaped flowers with red markings contrast beautifully with the green clover-like foliage that is soft to touch. The flowers can last several weeks on the bush. Some references suggest the leaves may be toxic to stock.

In the garden, Golden Tip makes a good fence-screener. It is fast-growing and can be kept in shape with light pruning after flowering. The plant sets large amounts of seed after flowering and these can be fairly easily raised to new seedlings. Golden Tip is semi-deciduous in our district and dead branches might sometimes need removing to maintain appearance.