Citation: Pritzel, Reprium nov. Spec. Regni veg. 15:356 (1918).

Synonymy: I. longibractea J. Black, Trans. R.Soc. S. Aust. 47:369 (1923).

Common name: Showy indigo.

Description:
Compact grey-downy shrub or subshrub to 1.3 m high; leaves 2-7 cm long; leaflets 7-21, subsessile, oblong-ovate, 7-25 x 3-13 ram, appressed-strigose-tomentose on both faces, mucronate, of greyish aspect; stipules triangular-lanceolate, 2-6 mm long, acuminate, leathery, glabrous inside, tomentose outside, often spinescent; stipels filiform, to 1 mm long, dark, often several gland-like.

Inflorescence stout, a pedunculate raceme, 4-10 cm long, much exceeding the leaves, to 20- or more-flowered, at first dense, later loose, blackish; bracts subulate, longer than the buds, to 6 mm long, densely grey- or rusty-sericeous, caducous; flowers on pedicels 0.5-1 mm long; calyx obconical tapering into the pedicel, 3-4 (rarely 5-6) mm long, with a dense blackish-rusty indumentum, teeth subequal, lanceolate-subulate, longer than the tube, persistent in fruit; petals red or purple; standard orbicular, 6-10 mm long, on a short claw, reflexed in flower, sericeous on the back, glabrous inside, palmately veined; wings obovate, shorter; keel obtuse, equalling the wings.

Pod cylindrical, 20-40 x c. 3 mm, grey to rusty, shortly woolly-strigose, pendulous, 6-12-seeded; seeds cuboid, c. 1 mm, brown-black.

Image source: fig. 306B in J.P. Jessop and H.R. Toelken Ed. 1986. Flora of South Australia (4th edn).

Published illustration: Rotherham et al. (1975) Flowers and plants of New South Wales and southern Queensland, fig. 502; Cunningham et al. (1982) Plants of western New South Wales, p. 397.

Distribution:  S.Aust.: NW.   W.Aust.; N.T.; N.S.W.; in rocky terrain. Conservation status: native Flowering time: June — Sept.

SA Distribution Map based on current data relating to specimens held in the State Herbarium of South Australia

Biology: No text

Taxonomic notes: This species has affinities with I. leucotricha from which it is distinguished by the obconical calyx tapering into the pedicel before and after anthesis. Some specimens have leaves and leaflets bigger and blue-greenish in appearance more like those of I. australis but the flowers are typical of I. basedowii.

Author: Not yet available