Citation: L., Sp. Pl. 762 (1753).

Derivation: Greek psoraleos, scabby; alluding to the immersed glands in the tissue of the plants.

Synonymy: Not Applicable

Common name: Scurf-peas.

Description:
Shrubs, half-shrubs or perennial herbs sometimes shrubby towards the base; branches erect or spreading, glabrous or pubescent, dotted with black or transparent glands also on the leaves and inflorescence, where the tomentum is dense the glandular dots are more or less hidden; leaves mostly imparipinnate; leaflets entire, 1-5 (generally 3 in S.Aust.), on long petioles; stipules attached by a broad base.

Inflorescence a peduncled many-flowered raceme, spike or pseudo-umbel; flowers pink, blue or white, small, pedicellate or subsessile, 1-3 in the axil of a membranous bract; bracteoles absent; calyx teeth somewhat unequal, the lowest tooth often the longest or the upper 2 united; petals clawed; standard ovate or orbicular; wings slightly adhering to the keel; keel obtuse, incurved, shortest; stamens diadelphous, upper stamen free or more or less connate with the other 9; anthers equal (in S.Aust.); ovary sessile or stipitate, 1-ovuled; style incurved; stigma terminal.

Pod about as long as the calyx, oblong or obovoid, indehiscent, adhering to the seed so that the connate pod and seed have the appearance of a seed enclosed in the fruiting calyx, without an aril.

Distribution:  Cosmopolitan, about 150 species mainly in tropical and temperate regions, most numerous in South Africa; 16 species in Australia, 14 being endemic.

Biology: No text

Key to Species:

1. Leaves congested, pinnate, with 3-5 pairs of leaflets; leaflets narrow-linear, less than 5 mm wide; woody shrub	P. pinnata 8.
1. Leaves not congested, often distant, 3-foliolate; leaflets more than 5 mm wide; subshrubs or herbs
2. Terminal leaflet subsessile and closer to the lateral ones
3. Petals twice as long as the calyx; ovary glabrous; pod black, rugose-wrinkled	P. adscendens 1.
3. Petals slightly exceeding the calyx; ovary and pod white-pubescent	P. parva 6.
2. Terminal leaflet petiolulate and distant from the 2 lateral ones
4. Calyx 2-3 mm long, open in fruit, usually shorter than the pod; pod dark, protruding, reniform, distinctly warted with yellow- brown glands	P. cinerea 3.
4. Calyx 4-10 mm long, not open in fruit; pod inserted, shorter than the calyx
5. Subshrubs; stem(s) erect, 0.5-2.5 m; inflorescence interrupted, commonly more than 10 cm long, usually at least twice as long as the leaves; petals exserted; plants of heavy soils	P. australasica 2.
5. Herbs; stems to 0.5 (rarely 1) m, prostrate or ascending when finally decumbent; inflorescence continuous, dense; plants of sandy soils
6. Petals protruding before and after anthesis for at least 1 mm; stems ascending then decumbent	P. pallida 5.
6. Petals inserted before anthesis, invisible; stem prostrate
7. Calyx sericeous, visible under long stout spreading hairs, gland-dotted	P. graveolens 4.
7. Calyx villous, hidden by dense appressed white hairs; glands on the calyx concealed or lacking	P. patens 7.

Author: Not yet available