Swainsona phacoides

Swainsona phacoides commonly known as dwarf Swainson-pea or lilac Darling pea,[2] is a flowering plant in the family Fabaceae. It is a small perennial herb, usually purple flowers and grows in all mainland states of Australia and the Northern Territory.

Dwarf Swainson-pea
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Genus: Swainsona
Species:
S. phacoides
Binomial name
Swainsona phacoides
Synonyms[1]
List
    • Swainsona phacoides Benth. subsp. phacoides
    • Swainsona phacoides var. argyrophylla J.M.Black
    • Swainsona phacoides var. oocarpa J.M.Black
    • Swainsona phacoides var. parviflora Benth.
    • Swainsona phacoides Benth. var. phacoides
    • Swainsona uniflora J.M.Black
    • Swainsonia phacoides F.Muell. orth. var.

Description

Swainsona phacoides is a small, ascending perennial herb to about 30 cm (12 in) high with stems more or less densely covered in soft, short hairs. The 5-13 leaves are 5–10 cm (2.0–3.9 in) long, narrow to broadly elliptic-shaped, leaflets up to 30 mm (1.2 in) long, 1–5 mm (0.039–0.197 in) wide, apex pointed, rounded or notched, upper and lower surfaces thickly or sparsely covered in soft, short hairs and stipules about 5 mm (0.20 in) long. The flowers are borne in racemes of 1-10, usually 10–15 mm (0.39–0.59 in) long, corolla light to dark reddish purple, keel blunt and rounded, longer than the wings, standard petal usually 7–14 mm (0.28–0.55 in) long, 7–14 mm (0.28–0.55 in) wide, broadly egg-shaped to almost orb-shaped and tapering at the base. Flowering occurs from August to October and the fruit is an oblong-elliptic shaped pod usually 15–35 mm (0.59–1.38 in) long and covered in soft, short hairs.[2][3]

Taxonomy and naming

Swainsona phacoides was first formally described in 1848 by George Bentham and the description was published in Thomas Mitchell's Journal of an Expedition into the Interior of Tropical Australia.[4][5]The specific epithet (phacoides) refers to a similarity to the genus Phaca, now known as Astragalus.[6]

Distribution and habitat

Dwarf Swainson-pea grows in sandy, red loam and rocky soils in all mainland states of Australia and the Northern Territory.[2][7]

References
  1. "Swainsona phacoides". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  2. Thompson, Joy; James, T.A. "Swainsona phacoides". PlantNET-New South Wales Flora online. Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  3. "Swainsona phacoides". VICFLORA-Flora of Victoria. Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  4. "Swainsona phacoides". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  5. Mitchell, Thomas (1848). Journal of an Expedition into the Interior of Tropical Australia. London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans. p. 363.
  6. George, A.S; Sharr, F.A (2021). Western Australian Plant Names and their meanings (4th ed.). Kardinya: Four Gables. p. 283. ISBN 9780958034197.
  7. Paczkowska, Grazyna. "Swainsona phacoides". Florabase-the Western Australian Flora. Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. Retrieved 6 August 2023.


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