Swainsona oligophylla
| Swainsona oligophylla | |
|---|---|
| |
| In Welford National Park | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Faboideae |
| Genus: | Swainsona |
| Species: | S. oligophylla
|
| Binomial name | |
| Swainsona oligophylla | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
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.
Description[edit]
Swainsona oligophylla is a prostrate or occasionally ascending annual perennial plant, that typically grows to a height of about 15 cm (5.9 in) and has many stems. The leaves are imparipinnate, mostly 10–40 mm (0.39–1.57 in) long with 5 to 7 egg-shaped leaflets with the narrower end towards the base, mostly 2–15 mm (0.079–0.591 in) long and 1–8 mm (0.039–0.315 in) wide with stipules about 3 mm (0.12 in) long at the base of the petioles. The flowers are purple, arranged in racemes of 3 to 7, 20–100 mm (0.79–3.94 in) long, on a peduncle up to 0.5 mm (0.020 in) long. The sepals are joined at the base to form a tube about 1.5 mm (0.059 in) long, with lobes 3 or 4 times longer than the tube. The standard petal is 8–10 mm (0.31–0.39 in) long, the wings about 7 mm (0.28 in) long and the keel about 8–9 mm (0.31–0.35 in) long and 2 mm (0.079 in) deep. Flowering usually occurs from August to October, and the fruit is a cylindrical pod 12–15 mm (0.47–0.59 in) long on a stalk about 1 mm (0.039 in) long, with the remains of the strongly curved style about 4 mm (0.16 in) long.[2][3][4]
Taxonomy and naming[edit]
Swainsona oligophylla was first formally described in 1864 by George Bentham in Flora Australiensis from an unpublished description by Ferdinand von Mueller.[5][6] The specific epithet (oligophylla) means "few-leaved".[7]
Distribution[edit]
This species of swainsona is widespread in the south of the Northern Territory, north-eastern South Australia, south-western Queensland and north-western New South Wales,[2] where it grows on clay-loam soils in well-watered areas.[4]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Swainsona oligophylla". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
- ^ a b Thonpson, Joy (1993). "A revision of the genus Swainsona (Fabaceae)". Telopea. 5 (3): 529–531. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
- ^ "Swainsona oligophylla". State Herbarium of South Australia. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
- ^ a b Thompson, Joy; James, Teresa A. "Swainsona oligophylla". Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
- ^ "Swainsona oligophylla". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
- ^ Bentham, George (1864). Flora Australiensis. London: Lovell Reeve & Co. p. 219. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
- ^ Sharr, Francis Aubi; George, Alex (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (3rd ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 265. ISBN 9780958034180.