Ground Cover Plant – Common Hovea
Common Hovea - Hovea heterophylla flower.
The Common Hovea – Hovea heterophylla is a recent find on our bush block. Although it is a reasonably common plant in our area we hadn’t seen it on our block until this year. It has just been flowering in the last half of August.
Obviously this plant must have been around before the bushfire to drop seed onto the ground but we hadn’t seen it and now all of a sudden we have found a single plant.
Common Hovea - Hovea heterophylla.
This plant is really pretty. Similar to Purple Coral-pea – Hardebergia violacia it is a small shrub but it’s difference is that it is more of a ground cover plant and not a climbing plant. Common Hovea flowers are a slightly lighter purple and the leaves are longer and thinner. This plant is very hardy and drought tolerant. Also like the Purple Coral-pea would attract wildlife.
Common Hovea is also known to be a Bush Tucker plant in that the young pods are edible. We haven’t sampled any yet or really learnt if there is any processsing required prior to eating or if they are just eaten fresh and raw. We still have this to learn.
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