Swainsona rotunda
| Swainsona rotunda | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Faboideae |
| Genus: | Swainsona |
| Species: | S. rotunda
|
| Binomial name | |
| Swainsona rotunda | |
Swainsona rotunda is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to inland areas of northern Western Australia. It is a prostrate herb with imparipinnate leaves with about 7 narrowly lance-shaped leaflets, and racemes of up to 4 lilac-coloured flowers.
Description
[edit]Swainsona rotunda is prostrate herb with imparipinnate leaves up to 25 mm (0.98 in) long with about 7 narrowly lance-shaped leaflets, the side leaflets mostly 5–10 mm (0.20–0.39 in) long and mostly about 1.5 mm (0.059 in) wide. There is a stipule 1–2 mm (0.039–0.079 in) long at the base of the petiole. The flowers are arranged in racemes 15–25 mm (0.59–0.98 in) long with about 7 flowers on a peduncle less than 0.5 mm (0.020 in) wide, each flower about 4 mm (0.16 in) long on a pedicel about 0.5 mm (0.020 in) long. The sepals are joined at the base, forming a tube about 1 mm (0.039 in) long, the sepal lobes about as long as the tube. The petals are lilac-coloured, the standard petal about 4 mm (0.16 in) long and wide, the wings about 4 mm (0.16 in) long, and the keel about 4 mm (0.16 in) long and 1.5 mm (0.059 in) deep. Flowering has been observed in August, and the fruit is more or less round, about 7 mm (0.28 in) long and wide.[2][3]
Taxonomy and naming
[edit]Swainsona rotunda was first formally described in 1993 by Joy Thompson in the journal Telopea from specimens in 1975.[2][4] The specific epithet (rotunda) means "round",[5] referring to the shape of the fruit.[2]
Distribution and habitat
[edit]This species of pea grows in red, sandy loam in the Gascoyne and Murchison bioregions of northern inland Western Australia.[2][3]
References
[edit]- ^ "Swainsona rotunda". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- ^ a b c d Thompson, Joy (1993). "A revision of the genus Swainsona (Fabaceae)". Telopea. 5 (3): 479–480. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- ^ a b "Swainsona rotunda". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
- ^ "Swainsona rotunda". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ George, Alex; Sharr, Francis (2021). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (4th ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 297. ISBN 9780958034180.