Citation: J. Black, Fl. S. Aust. 319 (1924).

Synonymy: Not Applicable

Common name: Yellow-keeled swainsona.

Description:
Prostrate or ascending greyish-green herb with several stems often over 30 cm long; indumentum on stems, leaves and peduncle of rather long and coarse white basifixed hairs spreading or loosely appressed; leaves 2-5 cm long, with 5-9 leaflets; leaflets obovate or narrow-obovate, often with a small point, rarely notched, 6-20 (usually 10-15) x 3-10 (usually 5-8) mm, hairy on both faces or becoming glabrous above; stipules leafy, lanceolate, 4-7 mm long, pubescent.

Flowers 8-10 mm long, on white-haired pedicels 2-3 mm long, in 5-15- (often 10- or 11-) flowered racemes on the distal third of the 5-13 cm long peduncle; bract subulate, a little longer than the pedicel; bracteoles linear, c. 2 mm long; calyx 5-8 mm long, pubescent with rather long white hairs chiefly on the veins and on the tooth-margins; teeth triangular-subulate, much longer than the tube; standard elliptic, about as long as broad, red, bluish or purplish with yellowish-green blotches centrally, suddenly contracted into a broad claw, 1-2 mm long and usually with 2 slightly thickened longitudinal ridges ceasing at or diverging shortly into the lamina; wings oblong, obtuse, shortest, red or purplish; keel semicircular, obtuse, incurved, often with a slight tendency to twist sideways, without pouches or folds, yellow, bluntly auriculate above the narrow c. 4 mm long claw; ovary stipitate, cylindrical, densely pubescent with white or tawny appressed hairs: style rather stout, flattened at least in the lower half, finely bearded all along; tip abruptly inflexed almost at right angles, shortly geniculate and bearded all round the stigma with a tuft of hairs along the inflexed section.

Pod ovoid-oblong, 5-14 x 5-7 mm, compressed, the suture impressed to the base, the walls firm, softly pubescent with spreading hairs, to 10-seeded; seed obliquely cordiform, c. 2 mm across, brown, shiny.

Image source: fig. 332A in J.P. Jessop and H.R. Toelken Ed. 1986. Flora of South Australia (4th edn).

Published illustration: Cunningham et al. (1982) Plants of western New South Wales, p. 413.

Distribution:  an uncommon species within S.Aust., apparently in watercourses or floodplains near creeks or rock holes. S.Aust.: NW, LE, NU, GT, FR, EA.   W.Aust.; N.T; Qld; N.S.W.:. Conservation status: native Flowering time: usually June — Oct.

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

Biology: No text

Author: Not yet available