PlantNET Home DONATE TODAY | PlantNET Home | Search NSW Flora | Contact Us  
FloraOnline
Introduction
Plant Name Search
Index Search
Spatial Search
Identification Keys
Classification
Glossary
WeedAlert
Telopea Journal
Other Data Sources
NEW SOUTH WALES FLORA ONLINE Printable Page

Swainsona formosa (G.Don) Joy Thomps.
Family Fabaceae
Subfamily Faboideae
Common name: Sturt's Desert Pea, Sturt Pea

Swainsona formosa (G.Don) Joy Thomps. APNI*

Synonyms: Clianthus formosus (G.Don) Ford & Vickery APNI*

Description: Prostrate annual or short-lived perennial; stems densely pubescent with spreading basifixed hairs.

Leaves mostly 10–15 cm long; leaflets c. 15, elliptic to obovate, lower leaflets usually 10–30 mm long, 5–12 mm wide, apex acute, obtuse or retuse, lower surface mostly with long spreading hairs; stipules to c. 15 mm long, occasionally with short lateral teeth.

Racemes 2–6-flowered; flowers 50–60 mm long. Calyx pubescent, teeth often twice as long as tube. Corolla red, white or parti-coloured; keel apex long-tapering, acute. Style tip slender, straight.

Pod narrow-elliptic-oblong, 40–90 mm long, densely pubescent; style 30–40 mm long; stipe 5–15 mm long.


Habit
Photo Andrew Orme

Flower
Photo Tanja Lenz

Herbarium
Sheet

Distribution and occurrence: in red, sandy or loamy soils in open sites or in Mulga woodland; chiefly in far-western districts of N.S.W., also recorded for Inverell in 1923 (NWS).
NSW subdivisions: NWS, NWP, SWP, NFWP, SFWP
Other Australian states: Qld W.A. S.A. N.T.
AVH map***

Text by J. Thompson & T. A. James
Taxon concept: Flora of NSW 2 (1991)


APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
  Privacy | Copyright | Disclaimer | About PlantNET | Cite PlantNET