Comesperma retusum
| Milkwort | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Polygalaceae |
| Genus: | Comesperma |
| Species: | C. retusum
|
| Binomial name | |
| Comesperma retusum | |
Comesperma retusum, commonly known as milkwort,[2] is a slender herb in the family Polygalaceae. It is an upright shrub with purple or mauve-pink pea-like flowers and grows in eastern Australia.
Description
[edit]Comesperma retusum is a small, upright, leafy shrub to 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) high and sparsely branched with more or less, pinkish warty stems. The leaves are elliptic to oblong-shaped, thick, 5–15 mm (0.20–0.59 in) long, 2–3 mm (0.079–0.118 in) wide and blunt or with a small point at the apex. The flowers are in a terminal raceme up to 1 cm (0.39 in) long, occasionally on short branches near the end of stems and the pedicels 5–8 mm (0.20–0.31 in) long. The purple or mauve-pink flowers are pea-like, 4–8 mm (0.16–0.31 in) long, outer sepals free, 2–3 mm (0.079–0.118 in) long, wing sepals usually 6–8 mm (0.24–0.31 in) long and the lateral petals equal in length as the yellow-tipped keel. Flowering occurs from November to January and the fruit is a flattened, elongated capsule 9–12 mm (0.35–0.47 in) long.[2][3][4]
Taxonomy and naming
[edit]Comesperma retusum was first formally described in 1806 by Jacques Labillardière and the description was published in Novae Hollandiae Plantarum Specimen.[5][6] The specific epithet (retusum) refers to the leaf apex.[7]
Distribution and habitat
[edit]Milkwort grows in bogs and swamps in montane, subalpine locations and occasionally coastal swamps in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory.[2][4]
References
[edit]- ^ "Commesperma retusum". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
- ^ a b c "Comesperma retusum". VICFLORA-Flora of Victoria. Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
- ^ Cosgrove, Meredith (2014). Photographic Guide to Native Plants of the Australian Capital Territory. Meadow Argus. p. 291. ISBN 9780994183408.
- ^ a b Murray, L. "Comesperma retusum". PlantNET-NSW flora online. Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
- ^ "Comesperma retusum". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
- ^ Labillardière, Jacques (1806). Novae Hollandiae Plantarum Specimen (2 ed.). Paris. p. 22.
- ^ George, A.S; Sharr, F.A (2021). Western Australian Plant Names and their meanings (4th ed.). Kardinya: Four Gables. p. 303. ISBN 9780958034197.