Platylobium formosum

Handsome flat-pea
Hand-coloured engraving by James Sowerby from A Specimen of the Botany of New Holland
Living specimen
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Fabales
Family:	Fabaceae
Subfamily:	Faboideae
Genus:	Platylobium
Species:	P. formosum
Binomial name
Platylobium formosum Sm.

Platylobium formosum, also known as handsome flat-pea, is a shrub that is endemic to Australia. It is a member of the family Fabaceae and of the genus Platylobium .

Description

The species is an erect or straggling shrub with wiry stems which usually grows to a height of between 1 and 2 metres. The leaves are opposite with very short, almost unnoticeable petioles. The leaf surface has a pronounced reticulation of veins on the surface and is dark green above and lighter below. The leaf size ranges from 2 to 5 cm in length and 1 to 2.3 cm in width. ^{[1] [2]}

The flowers appear in spring, between September and November in their native range. These are orange-yellow with a red centre, with red markings in the centre, on the tip of the keel and on the back of the standard. and are supported by a long stalk which is covered by hairs and arises from the leaf axil. The pods which follow are flat, glabrous or hairy and about 2 to 4 cm in length. ^{[1] [2]}

Taxonomy

The species was first formally described by botanist James Edward Smith in 1793 in A Specimen of the Botany of New Holland . The specific epithet formosum is derived from the Latin word for beautiful.

Following a taxonomic review of the genus Platylobium in 2011, plants in Victoria formerly known by this name have been reclassified as P. infecundum , P. montanum , P. parviflorum , P. reflexum or P. rotundum . ^[3] Plants in Tasmania previously known as P. formosum subsp. parviflorum have been reclassified as Platylobium parviflorum. ^[4]

Distribution

This species is found in New South Wales and Queensland. ^[5] It is common and widespread in habitats ranging from heathland to rainforest margins.

References

1. "New South Wales Flora Online: Platylobium formosum". Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust, Sydney, Australia.
2. Costermans, L. (1981). Native Trees and Shrubs of South-eastern Australia. Australia: Rigby. ISBN   978-0727014030.
3. Thompson, I.R. (2011). "A revision of Platylobium (Fabaceae: Bossiaeeae)" (PDF). Muelleria. 29 (2): 155–59. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 February 2015. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
4. Baker, M.L.; de Salas. M.F. "A Census of the Vascular Plants of Tasmania - 2012 edition" (PDF). p. 36. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
5. "Platylobium formosum". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government, Canberra. Retrieved 2 May 2012.

External links

• Media related to Platylobium formosum at Wikimedia Commons
• Data related to Platylobium formosum at Wikispecies
• Media related to Platylobium formosum at Wikimedia Commons