| Coronilla valentina | |
|---|---|
 | |
| C. valentina in Jardin des plantes, Paris | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Faboideae |
| Genus: | Coronilla |
| Species: | C. valentina |
| Binomial name | |
| Coronilla valentina | |
Coronilla valentina, the shrubby scorpion-vetch, [2] smokebush, scorpion vetch or bastard senna, [3] is a species of flowering plant in the genus Coronilla of the legume family Fabaceae, native to the Mediterranean Basin, and introduced into Kenya and the United States. [1] It is an evergreen shrub growing to 80 cm (31 in) tall and wide, with pea-like foliage and fragrant, brilliant yellow flowers in spring and summer, followed by slender pods. [4] Linnaeus observed that the flowers, remarkably fragrant in the daytime, are almost scentless at night. [5]
In cultivation it is fairly hardy, but prefers Mediterranean conditions, with shelter and warm sunshine. The subspecies C. valentina subsp. glauca [6] (syn. C. glauca) and its cultivar 'Citrina' [7] have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit (confirmed 2017). [8]
