Colutea arborescens is a genus of about 25 species of deciduous flowering shrubs in the legume family Fabaceae, growing from 2–5 m tall, native to southern Europe – Mediterannean area, north Africa and southwest Asia. The leaves are pinnate and light green to glaucous grey-green. The flowers are yellow to orange, pea-shaped and produced in racemes throughout the summer. These are followed by the attractive inflated seed pods which change from pale green to red or copper in colour, now is grown mostly for its attractive seed pods., used in dried arrangements.
Colutea arborescens will grow in poor sandy soils in preference to heavy or loamy soils. It is easy to propagate from seed. It is generally pest resistant, though garden snails will climb up the plant in wet weather to eat the leaves. Colutea species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Coleophora colutella.
Colutea arborescens is a species of leguminous shrub known by the common name bladder senna. It is known on other continents where it is grown as an ornamental and used in landscaping for erosion control. It is also known in the wild as an occasionally weedy escapee from cultivation. The inflorescence is a raceme of generally pea-like yellow flowers about 3 centimeters long. The fruit is an inflated bladdery pod which dries to a papery texture. It is 2 to 3 centimeters long and contains many seeds.