Podalyria is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae. Members of this genus are often, yet mistakenly, placed in the Sophora genus. The genus Podalyria was named after Podalirius, the son of Asklepios, who was the Roman god of medicine. This is a genus of about 25 species of evergreen shrubs and small trees that occur naturally in the winter rainfall areas of southern Africa. They have oval leaves 35mm long covered with very fine hairs that create a silvery effect. The flowering season varies, but usually starts in very early spring when clusters of mauve or white sweet-pea scented flowers open. The flowers are very attractive to many insects, particularly carpenter bees, and nectar-feeders like honey bees, butterflies and hoverflies. The large, heavy carpenter bees land on the petals and their weight opens the flower, giving them access to the pollen and nectar, whereas the smaller, lighter, honey bee goes to the opening at the base of the petals, gaining access to the nectar. The insects that are attracted by the flowers attract insect-eating birds like the Cape Batis. Plant in light, well-drained soil in full sun; these plants thrive in coastal conditions. Propagate from seed in spring or autumn. A light trimming after flowering keeps the bushes compact.

There are few shrubs to beat Podalyria calyptrata , with its attractive, glossy, silvery foliage and masses of sweet-scented mauve-pink sweetpea-like flowers in spring, and it is easy to grow. It’s also an excellent plant for the gardener wanting to attract bees, butterflies and birds to the garden. Podalyria calyptrata is a sturdy, fast-growing, well-branched shrub of 23 m or a small tree of 45 m. The leaves are simple, alternate and oval or egg-shaped, 1045 mm long and up to 25 mm wide, green-grey in colour and sparsely covered with silky white hairs on the upper and lower surfaces that give the leaves a silvery sheen. Young growth is velvety. The flowers are large, 25 mm or more across, very showy, mauve-pink to pink, most have a white spot in the centre, usually visible on the standard petal, and very occasionally you find a bush where the whole flower is white. Flowers are borne in winter, spring and early summer. Flowering time varies in that some bushes flower earlier than others in the same area.. Flowering is extended – bushes start off attractively dotted with their large flowers and in full bloom are completely covered in flowers. The flowers are typically pea-like with the standard/banner, keel and wing petals; the keel completely encloses the stamens and the stigma. They are also strongly fragrant, and really do fill the air of whole valleys with their sweet scent’ (Marloth in Palmer & Pitman 1972), a scent that reminds me of some grape-flavoured sweets of my childhood. When in bud, the flowers are covered by small, hairy bracts joined together to form a silken cap, which turns pale brown and appears to shrink as the bud grows, until it is balanced on the tip of the bud and falls off as the flower opens. It is an obvious feature once you notice it, and it distinguishes Podalyria calyptrata from all other species of Podalyria. The flowers are followed by hard; inflated, furry brown pods roughly 40 x 15 mm. They are found on the bushes from about October until January or later. The pods split to release several small seeds with a fleshy, collar-like aril. Podalyria calyptrata is a fynbos plant and occurs in the winter rainfall Western Cape from the Cape Peninsula northwards to Tulbagh and eastwards to Potberg near Bredasdorp and Swellendam. It is common on sandstone slopes in kloofs (ravines), on moist hillsides, in marshy places, beside mountain streams and on forest margins. It is generally found below 1 000 m. It is abundant on the Kirstenbosch Estate, on the eastern slopes of Table Mountain above the garden, and forms part of many plantings in the garden.