Colutea x media

Hybrid bladder-senna is in the pea or Fabaceae family and is a hybrid of C. arborescens and C. orientalis. It is a vigorous shrub to 3m, with an open, rounded habit, cultivated for its coppery pea-like flowers. The plant can fix Nitrogen in the soil.

• The pinnate leaves are grey-green and made up of many pairs of slightly hairy oval-shaped leaflets, each up to about 3 cm long.
• Flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and form short auxiliary racemes of pea-like deep orange flowers in summer (from July to August).
• The bladder-like pods, to 8cm long, are tinged with red and make a conspicuous feature.