Platylobium formosum
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| Handsome Flat-pea | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Platylobium formosum Sm. |
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Platylobium formosum var. cordifolium Wawra |
Platylobium formosum, also known as Handsome Flat-pea, is a shrub which is endemic to Australia . It is a member of the family Fabaceae and of the genus Platylobium.
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[edit] Description
The species is an erect or straggling shrub with wiry stems which usually grows to a height of between 1 to 2 metres. The leaves are opposite with very short, almost unnoticeable petioles. The leaf surface has a pronounced reticulation of veins on the surface and is dark green above and lighter below. The leaf size ranges from 2 to 5 cm in length and 1 to 2.3 cm in width.[1][2]
The flowers appear in spring, between September and November in their native range. These are orange-yellow with a red centre, with red markings in the centre, on the tip of the keel and on the back of the standard. and are supported by a long stalk which is covered by hairs and arises from the leaf axil. The pods which follow are flat, glabrous or hairy and about 2 to 4 cm in length. [1][2]
[edit] Taxonomy
The species was first formally described by botanist James Edward Smith in 1793 in A Specimen of the Botany of New Holland. The specific epithet formosum is derived from the Latin word for beautiful.
The are currently two recognised subspecies:
- Platylobium formosum Sm. subsp. formosum
- Platylobium formosum subsp. parviflorum (Sm.) A.T.Lee, which has a narrower leaf which does not have the cordate base of subsp. formosum .[3]
[edit] Distribution
This species is found in Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. It is common and widespread in habitats ranging from heathland to rainforest margins.
[edit] References
- ^ a b New South Wales Flora Online: Platylobium formosum by , Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust, Sydney, Australia
- ^ a b Costermans, L. (1981). Native Trees and Shrubs of South-eastern Australia. Australia: Rigby. ISBN 072701403x.
- ^ Platylobium formosum. Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government, Canberra. Retrieved on 2007-10-08.
[edit] External links
Media related to Platylobium formosum from the Wikimedia Commons.
