Gastrolobium lehmannii

Gastrolobium lehmannii
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Genus: Gastrolobium
Species: G. lehmannii
Binomial name
Gastrolobium lehmannii
Meisn.
Synonyms

Gastrolobium lehmannii or Cranbrook Pea is a vulnerable shrub in the family Fabaceae which is endemic to an area of Western Australia.

Description

It is an erect domed shrub, growing to 1.5 m. high with soft hairy branches and oblong leaves. The pea flowers are orange, yellow and red [1]

It is not known whether this species shares the toxic properties of many other members of the genus Gastrolobium.

Status

Listed as rare under Western Australia's Wildlife Conservation Act 1950.

Taxonomy

The species was first formally described in 1844 by botanist Carl Meissner. In 1995, botanist Michael Crisp placed the species in the genus Nemcia. In 2002, Chandler et al. - returned it to the Gastrolobium.

Distribution

First collected by James Drummond (botanist) in 1841, and later by Charles Gardner in 1919 between Cranbrook and the Stirling Ranges and from the Blackwood River area.

Was presumed to be extinct but found again in 2000 to 2002. Programmes have been initiated to conserve the remaining plants [2] [3]

References

  1. ↑ Brown, A.C. Thomson-Dans and N. Marchant (eds) (1998) Western Australia's Threatened Flora
  2. ↑ http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon_id=22282
  3. ↑ http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/species/gastrolobium-lehmannii.html

Further reading

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