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Cost Swainson's Pea photos | Family: Pea (Fabaceae syn. Papilionaceae) |
Scientific Name: | Swainsonia lessertiifolia | Coast Swainson's Pea plant Photo: J A Brown |
Status: | Native to South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria. | |
Plant Description: | Herb with erect or ascending stems and leaves comprised of 9-21 leaflets of oblong to elliptic shape and each 1-2 cm long and 4-8 mm wide. Flowers purple, 12-25 in racemes on stiff hairy stems. Calyx (leafy ring of bracts surrounding the petals) black and hairy. Flowers consist of a standard (large flat petal) 12-14 mm broad, two narrow wings petals and a keel (boat-shaped fusion of two petals). Fruit is an ovoid or oblong pod 1.5-3 cm long and 5-8 mm wide. | |
Habitat: | Frequent on sand dunes along the coast from the South Australian border to Wilson’s Promontory. | |
Comments: | The Swainson’s Peas are a rather large group of plants with 18 representatives currently recognised in Victoria. Some species, other than Coast Swainson’s Pea can occur on clay flats in inland parts and appear to have at least some salt tolerance. |
Flowers of Swainson's Pea Photo: J A Brown | Leaves of Coast Swainson's Pea Photo: J A Brown |
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Photo: J A Brown |