umadlozana, umlomomnandi
Hardy, evergreen shrub (0.6–2 m), scrambling or upright, with attractive trifoliate leaves.
Bright yellow pea-like flowers, that sometimes turn orange to red as they age. Flowers are profuse in spring-summer. Some varieties flower all year.
Flowers attract insects and birds.
Used as screen, hedge, or for scrambling over trees.
Insects: Flowers attract insect pollinators.
Wildlife: Seeds are eaten and then dispersed by birds and small animals.
Soil: Likely a nitrogen fixer (Fabaceae).
Ecosystem Services: Soil improvement, forms a cover for ground birds and animals, supports pollinators.
As with most keeled flowers, the flower hides the pollen and only releases it to specific pollinators as a mechanism to increase the chances that its pollen is not wasted on flowers from a different species of plant.
The keel is formed by the lower two petals being fused into a protective layer that encloses the reproductive organs (the pollen-producing stamens and ovum-producing pistil).
To access nectar, a pollinator such as a megachilid, or other large-bodied bees, needs to push the keel down, triggering the release of pollen from the stamens, depositing the pollen on the pollinator’s body. When the pollinator visits another argyrolobium flower, the pollen will be in the right position to stick to the tip of the style/pistil of the flower.
This interaction is a form of floral filtering, where the flower’s structure selects for efficient pollinators and excludes nectar robbers or ineffective visitors. It also contributes to reproductive isolation and speciation, especially in biodiverse regions such as Southern Africa.
The bright yellow to orange flowers attract insects. Seeds dispersed by birds/small mammals
Seeds are dispersed by birds and other animals.
Sow fresh seeds in a seedling mix. High germination success rates.
Easily propagated, using cuttings from the stems. Roots grow from the nodes.
Traditional Uses: Used by diviners to strengthen divining powers
