Tagasaste, Chamaecytisus palmensis, is indigenous to the Canary Islands. Often known as Tree Lucerne it is a small, shrub-like tree of the Fabaceae or pea family.

The handy pioneer Tree Lucerne.

It is now grown throughout the world as a fodder crop, and has been used as a ‘nurse crop’ in many parts. Its use in New Zealand has increased over the years, as it has been found to be adaptable to a variety of conditions and has proved invaluable as a pioneer crop.

John Prince and Rosemary Steel planted a large number of Tagasaste trees when they began to establish their orchard Nestlebrae Exotics near Helensville.

“We planted a great deal when we first came here,” Rosemary said. “We put in lots for shelter, particularly in circles or half circles round specific plants. We didn’t have any irrigation in those days so it wasn’t entirely successful as they ended up competing for water with the tree they were supposed to be nurturing, so we probably planted them too close.

“However as a shelter belt it was more successful and it is good firewood later on. It certainly has a lot of usage, as it provides bird fodder and nectar for honey. The ones we planted never got very big – no more than six to seven metres as they got attacked by a lemon tree borer which killed them off.

“However that may not be true of all sites.  We found the best way to get the seeds to germinate was to pour on boiling water. They have a very hard seed coat, which was obviously designed to aid their native dispersal, and is quite similar to kowhai.

“We found that if you pour on boiling water and leave overnight they would swell up and germinate. Some people used to say that they needed a special bacterial culture to thrive as seedlings, but we never found that as a problem here. In fact seeds laying around on this property still pop up regularly.”

John Kenderdine had a great deal of Tagasaste on his property north of Ahipara.

“It’s quite short lived and most of the original stuff from around 15 years ago has died off, but there are plenty of young seedlings still coming up. It’s a pretty untidy plant which could be a problem for those worried about tidiness, but as quick shelter, a nurse crop and nitrogen fixer it is very good. I believe that stock like it too, but I didn’t have stock on this property.”

Tagasaste will mature in 5-7 years, but being short-lived they don’t seem to be a competitive problem in areas of regeneration.

Obviously the seed can remain dormant for a long time, but once the native forest canopy has established, it will shade out the Tagasaste.

In this respect they act a little like Kanuka/Manuka but don’t live nearly as long. Kereru – native pigeon – love Tagasaste seed so will disperse it very effectively, complete with fertiliser over wide areas.

The young plants particularly are vulnerable to the attentions of rabbits and hares, so it is sensible to use tree-guards and protective fencing. As a nitrogen fixing legume it is capable of beginning the process of soil restoration – which will have beneficial effects upon neighbouring plants and trees.

Tagasaste will attract bees which should aid pollination in the area, and over its short life will coppice well. Given it never gets too big firewood shouldn’t require a chainsaw, and it is relatively easy to grow.

It seems to grow well on many soils, but probably prefers a dry sandy one to typically thick Northland clay. Finally, plant after winter as the young plants are frost tender.