About Oxylobium arborescens R.Br.
Oxylobium arborescens is an upright shrub that reaches up to 5 m (16 ft) in height. Its stems are covered in soft, silky hairs. The dark green leaves may be arranged in irregular whorls of three, or arranged opposite one another; leaves are linear, narrowly elliptic, or oblong in shape. They are usually 3–5 cm (1.2–2.0 in) long and 5–8 mm (0.20–0.31 in) wide, with a petiole about 4 mm (0.16 in) long, and have rolled-under margins. The upper surface of the leaf is covered in warty protuberances, smooth with visible veins, while the underside is covered in soft, matted hairs, and leaves taper to a sharp, short point.
Yellow flowers grow in short racemes that form at the end of branches or in leaf axils. Bracts are short and lance-shaped, while bracteoles are linear and 3–4 mm (0.12–0.16 in) long. The flower corolla is 8–10 mm (0.31–0.39 in) long, yellow with red markings, and covered with short, soft hairs, borne on a pedicel about 5 mm (0.20 in) long. The standard petal is almost flat and circular, yellow with a reddish centre, and notched at the apex. The seed pod is 6–10 mm (0.24–0.39 in) long, egg-shaped, sometimes compressed, hairy, and tapers to a point. Flowering takes place in spring and summer.
Commonly called tall shaggy-pea, this is an uncommon shrub that grows in gullies and sheltered forests, mostly on mountain ranges.
