Swainsona rostellata

Last updated

Swainsona rostellata
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. rostellata
Binomial name
Swainsona rostellata

Swainsona rostellata is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to inland areas of Western Australia. It is a prostrate perennial herb with imparipinnate leaves with 7 to 13 wedge-shaped leaflets, and racemes of usually up to 3 purple flowers.

Contents

Description

Swainsona rostellata is a prostrate, perennial herb that typically grows to a height of up to 5 cm (2.0 in) high and 45 cm (18 in) wide with sparsely hairy stems. Its leaves are imparipinnate, 10–50 mm (0.39–1.97 in) long on a sometimes very long petiole, with 7 to 13 wedge-shaped leaflets, the side leaflets 1–5 mm (0.039–0.197 in) long and 1–2 mm (0.039–0.079 in) wide. There is a variably shaped stipule 1–2 mm (0.039–0.079 in) long at the base of the petiole. The flowers are arranged in racemes 10–50 mm (0.39–1.97 in) long with up to 3 flowers on a peduncle about 0.5 mm (0.020 in) long, the flowers variable in size from 1 to 8 mm (0.039 to 0.315 in) long on a pedicel 1–2 mm (0.039–0.079 in) long. The sepals are joined at the base, forming a tube about 1.0–1.5 mm (0.039–0.059 in) long, the sepal lobes almost as long as the tube. The petals are purple, the standard petal 4–7 mm (0.16–0.28 in) long and 4–8 mm (0.16–0.31 in) wide, the wings 3–7 mm (0.12–0.28 in) long, and the keel about 4–6 mm (0.16–0.24 in) long and 1–2 mm (0.039–0.079 in) deep. [2] Flowering occurs from July to September [3] and the fruit is about 6–10 mm (0.24–0.39 in) long and 5–8 mm (0.20–0.31 in) wide. [2]

Taxonomy and naming

Swainsona rostellata was first formally described in 1948 by Alma Theodora Lee in Contributions from the New South Wales National Herbarium , from specimens collected by Charles Gardner on Mount Magnet in 1931. [4] The specific epithet (rostellata) means "possessing a small beak or snout", referring to the tip of the keel. [5]

Distribution and habitat

This species of pea grows red soil or clay loam on the edges of salt lakes or near swamps, in the Coolgardie, Murchison and Yalgoo bioregions of inland Western Australia. [2] [3]

Related Research Articles

<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 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.

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 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.

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 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.

Swainsona minutiflora is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to South Australia. It is a prostrate, herbaceous plant with imparipinnate leaves with 5 to 9 oblong or narrowly oblong leaflets with the narrower end towards the base, and racemes of 3 to 7 yellow or pinkish 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.

Swainsona parviflora is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to the eastern Australia. It is a low-lying perennial with imparipinnate leaves with 5 to 11 narrowly elliptic to narrowly lance-shaped or oblong leaflets, and racemes of 3 to 10 purple flowers.

Swainsona pedunculata is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to inland areas of Western Australia. It is a small, ascending annual herb with imparipinnate leaves with 3 to 7 narrowly elliptic or lance-shaped leaflets, and racemes of 2 to 3 purple flowers.

Swainsona perlonga is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to inland parts of the south-west of Western Australia. It is a scrambling perennial herb with imparipinnate leaves with 7 to 13 egg-shaped or almost round leaflets, and racemes of 7 to 10 purple to lilac-pink flowers.

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

Swainsona pterostylis is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to northern parts of Western Australia. It is a low-growing or prostrate perennial herb, with imparipinnate leaves with mostly 11 to 19 broadly elliptic leaflets, and racemes of 5 to more than 30 purple or violet flowers.

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

Swainsona queenslandica, commonly known as smooth Darling pea, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a perennial herb with imparipinnate leaves with 19 to 25 egg-shaped leaflets with the narrower end toward the base, and racemes of about 20 white, pinkish to orange red or dark red flowers.

References

  1. "Swainsona rostellata". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 Thompson, Joy (1993). "A revision of the genus Swainsona (Fabaceae)". Telopea. 5 (3): 478–479. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  3. 1 2 "Swainsona rostellata". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  4. "Swainsona rostellata". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  5. Sharr, Francis Aubi; George, Alex (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (3rd ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 297. ISBN   9780958034180.