Swainsona paradoxa

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Swainsona paradoxa
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. paradoxa
Binomial name
Swainsona paradoxa

Swainsona paradoxa is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to inland Western Australia. It is a prostrate or ascending perennial or annual herb with imparipinnate leaves with up to 9 mostly broadly egg-shaped leaflets and racemes of 2 to 20 purple, pink or white flowers.

Description

Swainsona paradoxa is a prostrate or ascending perennial or annual plant, that rarely grows to a height of 20 cm (7.9 in) and has many stems. The leaves are imparipinnate, mostly 10–120 mm (0.39–4.72 in) long with up to 9 broadly egg-shaped leaflets with the narrower end towards the base, the side leaflets up to 25 mm (0.98 in) long and 15 mm (0.59 in) wide with stipules mostly 2–7 mm (0.079–0.276 in) long at the base of the petioles. The flowers are purple, pink or white, arranged in racemes of 2 to 20, 50–250 mm (2.0–9.8 in) long, on a peduncle 0.5–3 mm (0.020–0.118 in) wide. The sepals are joined at the base to form a tube about 1.5 mm (0.059 in) long, with lobes shorter than the tube. The standard petal is 8–10 mm (0.31–0.39 in) long and up to about 12 mm (0.47 in) wide, the wings 7–8 mm (0.28–0.31 in) long and the keel about 7–8 mm (0.28–0.31 in) long and 3–4 mm (0.12–0.16 in) deep. [2] Flowering occurs in April or May, or from July to September, [3] and the fruit is a pod 10–15 mm (0.39–0.59 in) long on a stalk about 1 mm (0.039 in) long, with the remains of the strongly curved style 3–4 mm (0.12–0.16 in) long. [2]

Taxonomy and naming

Swainsona paradoxa was first formally described in 1904 by William Vincent Fitzgerald and the description was published in the Journal of the West Australian Natural History Society from specimens he found near the margins of a salt lake near Nannine. [4] [5] The specific epithet (paradoxa) means "unexpected" or "strange", referring to the fruit. [6]

Distribution and habitat

This species of pea grows on the edges of salt lakes or salt flats in the Coolgardie, Gascoyne and Murchison bioregions of inland Western Australia. [3]

Related Research Articles

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<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.

Swainsona calcicola is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to north-western Western Australia. It is a prostrate or ascending, low-growing perennial with many stems, imparipinnate leaves usually with 7 to 11 broadly egg-shaped leaflets with the narrower end towards the base, and racemes of usually 4 or 5 pink, purple or red flowers.

Swainsona cyclocarpa is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to northern inland areas of Australia. It is a prostrate or low-growing annual with imparipinnate leaves usually with up to 7 usually egg-shaped leaflets with the narrower end towards the base, and racemes of 4 to 16 purple flowers.

Swainsona disjuncta is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to widely separated areas of central Australia. It is a prostrate perennial herb with imparipinnate leaves with 3 to 9 egg-shaped leaflets, and racemes of purple, pink or red flowers in racemes of 3 to 15.

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

Swainsona elegans is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a prostrate or ascending annual with imparipinnate leaves, usually with 7 to 15 egg-shaped or elliptic leaflets, and racemes of up to 15 blue or reddish-purple flowers.

<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 3 to 15 purple, red or pink 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.

Swainsona halophila is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to inland areas of Western Australia. It is usually a prostrate annual herb with imparipinnate leaves with 9 to 13 egg-shaped to broadly wedge-shaped leaflets, and racemes of 2 to 9 purple flowers.

Swainsona incei is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to inland Western Australia. It is an erect or ascending annual, sometimes perennial herb with imparipinnate leaves with 5 to 9 lance-shaped to elliptic leaflets, and racemes of 2 to 30 purple flowers.

Swainsona kingii is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is native to Western Australia and South Australia. It is a prostrate or ascending annual or perennial herb, with imparipinnate leaves with usually 5 egg-shaped leaflets with the narrower end towards the base, and racemes of 1 to 3 pink to purple 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 luteola is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to the eastern Australia. It is a prostrate or low-lying to semi-erect perennial with imparipinnate leaves with usually 3 to 17 narrowly elliptic leaflets, and racemes of 5 to 15 purple, sometimes yellow flowers.

Swainsona microcalyx, commonly known as wild violet, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to southern mainland Australia. It is a prostrate or low-growing perennial herb, with imparipinnate leaves with 5 to 9 broadly egg-shaped to wedge-shaped leaflets and racemes of 5 to 15 purple flowers.

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

Swainsona microphylla, commonly known as small-leaf swainson-pea, small-leaf swainsona, or poison swainson-pea is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to mainland Australia. It is a prostrate or low-growing, sometimes erect perennial herb, with imparipinnate leaves with mostly 21 to 41 broadly wedge-shaped to round leaflets and racemes of 5 to 10 white, pink or purple flowers.

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

Swainsona murrayana, commonly known as slender Darling-pea or slender Darling pea, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to south-eastern mainland Australia. It is a prostrate, low-growing or erect perennial herb, with imparipinnate leaves with 3 to 11 linear to elliptic leaflets and racemes of 3 to 11 pink or purple flowers.

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

Swainsona oligophylla is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to central Australia. It is usually a prostrate perennial plant with imparipinnate leaves with 5 to 7 egg-shaped leaflets, the narrower end towards the base, and racemes of 3 to 7 purple flowers.

Swainsona oliveri is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to south-western Australia. It is a slender, prostrate to ascending annual or perennial herb with imparipinnate leaves with 9 to 13 narrowly egg-shaped leaflets, the narrower end towards the base, and racemes of up to 4 cream-coloured to yellow flowers, sometimes with a pink tinge.

<i>Swainsona oroboides</i> Species of flowering plants

Swainsona oroboides, commonly known as variable swainsona or kneed Darling pea, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to Australia. It is a prostrate or ascending perennial plant with imparipinnate leaves with 3 to 7 narrowly elliptic leaflets and racemes of 3 to about 16 purple flowers.

References

  1. "Swainsona paradoxa". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  2. 1 2 Thonpson, Joy (1993). "A revision of the genus Swainsona (Fabaceae)". Telopea. 5 (3): 483–484. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  3. 1 2 "Swainsona paradoxa". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  4. "Swainsona paradoxa". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  5. Fitzgerald, William V. (1904). "Additions to the West Australian Flora". Journal of the West Australian Natural History Society. 2 (1): 5. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  6. Sharr, Francis Aubi; George, Alex (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (3rd ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. pp. 270–271. ISBN   9780958034180.