| Swainsona oligophylla | |
|---|---|
| |
| In Welford National Park | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Faboideae |
| Genus: | Swainsona |
| Species: | S. oligophylla |
| Binomial name | |
| Swainsona oligophylla F.Muell. ex Benth. | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Swainsona oligophylla is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to central Australia. It is usually a prostrate perennial plant with imparipinnate leaves with 5 to 7 egg-shaped leaflets, the narrower end towards the base, and racemes of 3 to 7 purple flowers.
Description
Swainsona oligophylla is a prostrate or occasionally ascending annual perennial plant, that typically grows to a height of about 15 cm (5.9 in) and has many stems. The leaves are imparipinnate, mostly 10–40 mm (0.39–1.57 in) long with 5 to 7 egg-shaped leaflets with the narrower end towards the base, mostly 2–15 mm (0.079–0.591 in) long and 1–8 mm (0.039–0.315 in) wide with stipules about 3 mm (0.12 in) long at the base of the petioles. The flowers are purple, arranged in racemes of 3 to 7, 20–100 mm (0.79–3.94 in) long, on a peduncle up to 0.5 mm (0.020 in) long. The sepals are joined at the base to form a tube about 1.5 mm (0.059 in) long, with lobes 3 or 4 times longer than the tube. The standard petal is 8–10 mm (0.31–0.39 in) long, the wings about 7 mm (0.28 in) long and the keel about 8–9 mm (0.31–0.35 in) long and 2 mm (0.079 in) deep. Flowering usually occurs from August to October, and the fruit is a cylindrical pod 12–15 mm (0.47–0.59 in) long on a stalk about 1 mm (0.039 in) long, with the remains of the strongly curved style about 4 mm (0.16 in) long.
Taxonomy and naming
Swainsona oligophylla was first formally described in 1864 by George Bentham in Flora Australiensis from an unpublished description by Ferdinand von Mueller. The specific epithet (oligophylla) means "few-leaved".
Distribution
This species of swainsona is widespread in the south of the Northern Territory, north-eastern South Australia, south-western Queensland and north-western New South Wales, where it grows on clay-loam soils in well-watered areas.
References
- ^ "Swainsona oligophylla". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
- ^ Thonpson, Joy (1993). "A revision of the genus Swainsona (Fabaceae)". Telopea. 5 (3): 529–531. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
- "Swainsona oligophylla". State Herbarium of South Australia. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
- ^ Thompson, Joy; James, Teresa A. "Swainsona oligophylla". Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
- "Swainsona oligophylla". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
- Bentham, George (1864). Flora Australiensis. London: Lovell Reeve & Co. p. 219. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
- Sharr, Francis Aubi; George, Alex (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (3rd ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 265. ISBN 9780958034180.