Daviesia asperula

Daviesia asperula is a compact or spreading shrub that typically grows to a height of up to 2 m (6 ft 7 in). Its leaves are reduced to often crowded flattened, tapering or curved, sharply-pointed phyllodes, 5–25 mm (0.20–0.98 in) wide and 1–4.5 mm (0.039–0.177 in) wide. The flowers are arranged in groups of two or three in leaf axils on a peduncle up to 1 mm (0.039 in) long, each flower on a pedicel 1–2 mm (0.039–0.079 in) long. The five sepals are 2.5–3.0 mm (0.098–0.118 in) long and joined at the base, forming a bell-shaped tube with short lobes. The standard petal is broadly egg-shaped with a notched tip, yellow-orange with a red base and 7–8 mm (0.28–0.31 in) long and wide, the wings yellow-orange and about 5.5 mm (0.22 in) long and the keel orange-red and about 4.5 mm (0.18 in) long. Flowering occurs from August to October and the fruit is a slightly flattened triangular pod 10–14 mm (0.39–0.55 in) long.[2][3][4]

Daviesia asperula was first formally described in 1995 by Michael Crisp in Australian Systematic Botany from specimens collected by Betty Phillips near Rocky River on Kangaroo Island in 1965.[2][5][4] The specific epithet (asperula) means "slightly rough", referring to the branchlets and phyllodes.[4]

In the same journal, Crisp described two subspecies and the names are accepted by the Australian Plant Census:

• Daviesia asperula Crisp subsp. asperula[6] has phyllodes that are broadest at or near the base;[3][4]
• Daviesia asperula Crisp subsp. obliqua Crisp[7] has curved phyllodes that are broadest at or beyond the middle.[3][4]

This species of pea mainly grows in mallee or open forest in poor soils on the Eyre and Fleurieu Peninsulas and on Kangaroo Island in South Australia.[2][4][8][9]