A shrub described as stout, sparingly branched and from 2 to 6 ft high in a wild state. Young shoots without down, faintly ribbed, slightly flattened, but becoming almost round (terete) after the first year. Flowers 1⁄6 in. long, violet-purple, fragrant, produced in June and July, three to eight together on racemes 1⁄2 to 1 in. long; calyx and flower-stalks silky-downy, the former with short triangular teeth. Pod 1⁄4 to 2⁄5 in. long, stout, with usually two or three seeds.
Native of the South Island of New Zealand, up to 1,000 ft altitude. Its distinctive characters are in the round (not flattened) branches, short thick pod, and often thickly clustered downy racemes. It is not in cultivation at Kew, but is reputed to be fairly hardy.