Sophora molloyi is a bushy spreading to decumbent kowhai that is usually wider than high (3m) and is endemic to New Zealand. Specimens growing at Otari Wilton Reserve have reached 6m. It grows in the North Island and South Island near Cook Strait and on some Cook Strait Islands. Its habitat is in coastal scrub on exposed maritime sites. Unlike another kowhai, S. molloyi retains its leaves all year round… It has historically been sold as Sophora. ‘Dragon’s Gold’.

Its yellow flowers are small than other Sophora species at 3cm and appear from April to October.