Swainsona laxa

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Skeleton pea
Swainsona laxa.jpg
In the Australian National Botanic Gardens
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Genus: Swainsona
Species:
S. laxa
Binomial name
Swainsona laxa
Synonyms [1]
Habit Swainsona laxa habit.jpg
Habit

Swainsona laxa, the skeleton pea, [2] yellow swainson-pea, yellow Darling pea, [3] or sandhill swainsona, [4] is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to inland Australia. It is an erect, shrublike herb, often appearing leafless, sometimes with 13 to 17 broadly egg-shaped leaflets, and racemes of 15 to 20 usually yellow flowers.

Contents

Description

Swainsona laxa is an erect or ascending shrublike herb that can grow to a height of 2 m (7 ft), and has mostly glabrous stems. [2] [3] [5] Its leaves are imparipinnate, generally 50–150 mm (2–6 in) long, usually with 13 to 17 broadly egg-shaped leaflets, the lower leaflets 1–10 mm (0.04–0.39 in) long and up to 7 mm (0.3 in) wide with a notch at the tip. [2] [3] [5] There is a stipule up to 2 mm (0.1 in) long at the base of the petiole. [2] [3] [5] The flowers are arranged in racemes on a peduncle 120–200 mm (5–8 in) long with 12 to 20 flowers, each flower 10–15 mm (0.4–0.6 in) long on a pedicel 2–4 mm (0.1–0.2 in) long. [2] [3] [5] The sepals are joined at the base, forming a tube about 1.5–2.5 mm (0.06–0.10 in) long with triangular teeth shorter than the sepal tube. [2] [3] [5] The petals are yellow, sometimes with purple markings on the wings, the standard petal 10–15 mm (0.4–0.6 in) long, the wings 6–10 mm (0.2–0.4 in) long, and the keel 10–15 mm (0.4–0.6 in) long and about 4 mm (0.2 in) deep. [2] [3] [5] Flowering probably occurs throughout the year, depending on rainfall, and the fruit is an inflated pod 15–20 mm (0.6–0.8 in) long on a stalk 1–2 mm (0.04–0.08 in) long, with the remains of the style about 3 mm (0.1 in) long. [2] [3] [5]

Taxonomy and naming

Swainsona laxa was first formally described in 1849 by Robert Brown in the botanical appendix of Charles Sturt's Narrative of an Expedition into Central Australia. [6] [7] The specific epithet (laxa) means "loose" or "open". [8]

Distribution and habitat

Skeleton pea grows on the upper slopes of sand ridges in western New South Wales, the north-west of South Australia, southern Northern Territory and Queensland. [2] [3] [5] [4]

Related Research Articles

<i>Swainsona formosa</i> Species of plant

Swainsona formosa, commonly known as Sturt's desert pea or Sturt pea, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is native to all continental states and the Northern Territory of Australia, with the exception of Victoria. It is a prostrate annual or short lived perennial herb with imparipinnate leaves with about 15 elliptic to egg-shaped leaflets with the narrower end towards the base, and racemes of usually red flowers in racemes of 2 to 6.

<i>Swainsona greyana</i> Species of plant

Swainsona greyana, commonly known as the Darling pea or hairy-Darling pea, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to south-eastern continental Australia. It is an erect perennial subshrub with imparipinnate leaves with 17 to 21 egg-shaped leaflets, and racemes of 12 to 20 or more white, pink or purple flowers.

<i>Swainsona lessertiifolia</i> Species of plant

Swainsona lessertiifolia, commonly known as coast swainson-pea, bog pea, Darling peapoison pea or poison vetch is an erect or ascending perennial herb in the pea family and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It has 13 to 21 narrowly elliptic to elliptic leaflets, and racemes of mostly 12 to 25 usually purplish, rarely white flowers.

Swainsona adenophylla, commonly known as violet swainson-pea or violet Darling pea, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to arid areas of central Australia. It is a slender, erect or spreading perennial herb with imparipinnate leaves with three to nine linear to narrowly egg-shaped leaflets, and racemes of pink or purplish flowers in racemes of ten to twenty.

<i>Swainsona affinis</i> Species of legume

Swainsona affinis, commonly known as common poison pea, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to arid areas of inland Australia. It is a prostrate perennial herb with imparipinnate leaves with 7 to 25 broadly elliptic leaflets, and racemes of purple, pink, yellow or white flowers.

<i>Swainsona brachycarpa</i> Species of plant

Swainsona brachycarpa, commonly known as slender swainson-pea, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a prostrate or ascending perennial herb with imparipinnate leaves usually with 9 to 13 egg-shaped to narrowly elliptic or egg-shaped leaflets, and racemes of up to 12 white, purple or dark red flowers.

<i>Swainsona burkittii</i> Species of plant endemic to Australia

Swainsona burkittii, commonly known as woolly Darling pea, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to inland Australia. It is an erect or low-lying perennial with imparipinnate leaves usually with 15 to 30 egg-shaped to more or less circular leaflets, and racemes of up to fifty dark reddish-purple flowers.

<i>Swainsona campestris</i> Species of legume

Swainsona campestris is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to arid areas of southern Australia. It is an erect perennial herb with imparipinnate leaves with 9 to 11 linear to narrowly lance-shaped leaflets, and racemes of pink or purple flowers in racemes of 5 to 10.

<i>Swainsona campylantha</i> Species of legume

Swainsona campylantha, commonly known as Gilgai Darling pea, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to inland areas of Australia. It is a low-growing perennial with imparipinnate leaves usually with up to 7 narrowly lance-shaped to narrowly elliptic leaflets, and racemes of 2 to 10 pink to purple flowers.

Swainsona eremaea is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to South Australia. It is a low-growing, spreading, probably perennial plant with imparipinnate leaves with 5 to 11 linear, oblong to broadly wedge-shaped leaflets, and racemes of bright red to brown or yellow flowers in racemes of 5 to 20.

Swainsona fissimontana is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to inland areas of southern continental Australia. It is a compact, erect or upright perennial herb with imparipinnate leaves with 7 to 13 narrowly elliptic to elliptic leaflets, and racemes of pink to dark purplish flowers in racemes of 3 to 11.

<i>Swainsona flavicarinata</i> Species of legume

Swainsona flavicarinata is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to inland areas of continental Australia. It is a prostrate to more or less erect perennial herb, with imparipinnate leaves with 5 to 9 egg-shaped leaflets with the narrower end towards the base, and racemes of purple, red or pink flowers in racemes of 3 to 15.

Swainsona forrestii is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to the central northern Western Australia. It is an erect or spreading, single-stemmed annual herb, with imparipinnate leaves with about 13 to 17 narrowly egg-shaped or narrowly ellipitic leaflets, and racemes of dark brownish red to purple or pink flowers in racemes of 30 or more.

Swainsona fraseri is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a perennial plant with imparipinnate leaves with mostly 21 to 24 ellipitic leaflets, and racemes of 20 or more pink to purple flowers.

Swainsona fuscoviridis is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to South Australia. It is a perennial plant with many stems and imparipinnate leaves with mostly 7 or 9 ellipitic, linear or egg-shaped or lance-shaped leaflets, and racemes of 12 to 20 purple flowers.

Swainsona gracilis is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a prostrate or ascending perennial herb with imparipinnate leaves with up to 15 wedge-shaped or narrowly oblong leaflets, and racemes of up to 4 purple or blue flowers.

<i>Swainsona laciniata</i> Species of legume

Swainsona laciniata is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to north-western Australia. It is a prostrate or ascending perennial herb with imparipinnate leaves with 7 to 13 broadly elliptic to broadly egg-shaped leaflets, and racemes of 3 to 8 purple flowers.

Swainsona leeana is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Australia. It is a small prostrate perennial, possible perennial with imparipinnate leaves with 5 to 7 broadly egg-shaped or elliptic leaflets, and racemes of up to 3 purple or yellow flowers.

Swainsona longicarinata is a prostrate or ascending perennial herb in the pea family and is endemic to the far west of Western Australia. It has 5 to 11 variably-shaped leaflets, and racemes of about 7, usually purple flowers.

Swainsona longipilosa is a small annual plant in the family pea and is endemic to a small area in the central west of Western Australia. It has about 5 egg-shaped leaflets with the narrower end toward the base, and racemes of up to 3, reddish purple flowers.

References

  1. 1 2 "Swainsona laxa". Australian Plant Census. Archived from the original on 11 March 2024. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Thompson, Joy; James, Teresa A. "Swainsona laxa". Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney. Archived from the original on 31 March 2019. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Swainsona laxa". State Herbarium of South Australia. Archived from the original on 18 September 2021. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  4. 1 2 "Swainsona laxa". Northern Territory Government. Archived from the original on 11 March 2024. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Thompson, Joy (1993). "A revision of the genus Swainsona (Fabaceae)". Telopea. 5 (3): 449–450. Archived from the original on 2 March 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  6. ↑ "Swainsona laxa". Australian Plant Name Index. Archived from the original on 11 March 2024. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  7. ↑ Brown, Robert (1849). Sturt, Charles (ed.). Narrative of an expedition into central Australia. Vol. 2. London: T. and W. Boone. p. 76. Archived from the original on 11 March 2024. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  8. ↑ Sharr, Francis Aubi; George, Alex (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (3rd ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 237. ISBN   9780958034180.
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