The object of this thesis was therefore to analyze the induction of defensive enzymes of a woody perennial legume of the Papilionoideae subfamily in response to treatment with hormones. The kowhai, a New Zealand native legume, was selected for this study because it is a woody perennial member of the Papilionoideae subfamily which has not been cultivated as a food plant due to the toxic nature of its seeds. The Kowhai displays both divaricating shrub and tree growth characteristics at different stages of its life cycle (Heenan et al., 2001).