Showy bossiaea
Bossiaea cinerea in the Grampians
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Genus: Bossiaea
Species:
B. cinerea
Binomial name
Bossiaea cinerea
Occurrence data from AVH
Synonyms[1]
  • Bossiaea cinerea R.Br. var. cinerea
  • Bossiaea cinerea var. tenuicaulis (Graham) J.M.Black
  • Bossiaea cordifolia Sweet
  • Bossiaea tenuicaulis Graham

Bossiaea cinerea, commonly known as showy bossiaea,[2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is an erect or spreading shrub with trowel-shaped, triangular, egg-shaped or lance-shaped leaves with a sharply-pointed tip and golden yellow and red to purplish-brown flowers.

Description

Bossiaea cinerea is an erect to spreading shrub that typically grows to a height of up to 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) tall and has densely hairy stems. The leaves are more or less sessile, trowel-shaped, triangular, egg-shaped or lance-shaped with a sharply-pointed tip, 10–20 mm (0.39–0.79 in) long and 2–5 mm (0.079–0.197 in) wide with bristly stipules up to 2.5 mm (0.098 in) long at the base. The flowers are arranged singly in leaf axils along the branchlets, each flower 7–12 mm (0.28–0.47 in) long and borne on a pedicel 5–20 mm (0.20–0.79 in) long with crowded egg-shaped bracts and bracteoles equal to or less than 1 mm (0.039 in) long. The sepals are 3–5 mm (0.12–0.20 in) long and joined at the base with the upper lobes much broader than the lower ones. The standard petal is yellow with a red base, a darker colour on the back and up to 9 mm (0.35 in) long. The wings are yellow to orange with red or brownish-purple streaks and more than twice as long as the sepals, the wings and keel are shorter than the standard petal and brownish-purple or red. Flowering occurs from August to November and the fruit is an egg-shaped to oblong pod 19–20 mm (0.75–0.79 in) long.[2][3][4][5]

Taxonomy

Bossiaea cinerea was first formally described in 1812 by Robert Brown in William Aiton's Hortus Kewensis.[6][7] The specific epithet (cinerea) means "ash-covered" or "grey".[8]

Distribution and habitat

Showy bossiaea grows in forest, woodland, coastal heath and scrub, south from Bega in New South Wales, through southern Victoria to far south-eastern South Australia. It is common and widespread in Tasmania.[2][3][4][9]

Use in horticulture

This bossiaea grows best in well drained soils but tolerates salty winds and dry conditions. It can be grown in full sun but prefers partial shade.[10]

References

  1. 1 2 "Bossiaea cinerea". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 Ross, James H. "Bossiaea cinerea". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  3. 1 2 "Bossiaea cinerea". PlantNET - New South Wales Flora Online. Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust, Sydney Australia. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  4. 1 2 "Bossiaea cinerea". State Herbarium of South Australia. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  5. ↑ Longmore, Sue; Smithyman, Steve & Crawley, Matt (2010). Inland Plants of the Bellarine Peninsula. Bellarine Catchment Network.
  6. ↑ "Bossiaea cinerea". APNI. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  7. ↑ Brown, Robert; Aiton, William (ed.) (1812). Hortus Kewensis. London: Logman, Hurst, Rees, Orme and Brown. p. 268. Retrieved 16 July 2021. {{cite book}}: |first2= has generic name (help)
  8. ↑ Sharr, Francis Aubi; George, Alex (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (3rd ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 164. ISBN 9780958034180.
  9. ↑ Jordan, Greg. "Bossiaea cinerea". University of Tasmania. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  10. ↑ Scott, Rob; Blake, Neil; Campbell, Jeannie; Evans, Doug; Williams, Nicolas (2002). Indigenous Plants of the Sandbelt. St Kilda: Earthcare. p. 109. ISBN 0-9581009-0-X.
  11. ↑ Edwards, Sydenham (1818). "Bossiaea cinerea". The Botanical Register. 4: 306. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
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