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Electronic Flora of South Australia species Fact Sheet

Family: Fabaceae
Swainsona viridis

Citation: J. Black, Fl. S. Aust. 321 (1924).

Synonymy: Not Applicable

Common name: Creeping Darling pea.

Description:
Green prostrate or decumbent almost glabrous annual except for a few appressed basifixed hairs persisting on the stipules, leaflets, peduncles, calyx teeth and young stems; stems 10-30 cm long, mainly from a tiny or long and firm corky tap root; leaves 12-40 mm long, with 5-13 (usually 9-11) leaflets; leaflets subequal, oblanceolate to narrow-obovate, 2.5-16 x 1.5-8 mm, rounded-truncate to slightly retuse, with a few hairs scattered along the margins and midrib below; stipules cordate on one side only, to 8 mm long, acute, auriculate, leafy.

Flowers 10-11 mm long, on pedicels 1-2 mm long, slightly hairy, 5-10 in loose racemes on the distal half of the 4-20 cm long peduncles; bract ovate-lanceolate, c. 2 mm long, green, with a few marginal hairs; bracteoles lanceolate, c. 2 mm long, similar in shape to the calyx teeth; calyx 5-6 mm long, glabrous except for the ciliolate lanceolate teeth as long as the tube; petals bluish to purple; standard broad-ovate, c. 15 mm across, shallowly notched, ecallose, on a slender 1.5-2 mm long claw; wings ovate, shortest, auriculate, on a long filiform claw; keel shorter than the standard, bluntly-triangular, with 2 shallow folds above the c. 3 mm long claw; ovary stipitate, linear, pubescent with closely appressed light hairs, rarely almost glabrous; style geniculate at the base, straight towards the summit, bearded throughout but chiefly in the upper part; tip with a very minute geniculate segment.

Pod narrow-cylindrical, 20-35 x 2.5-3 mm, sparsely hoary or with short appressed hairs, the walls thin but firm, the suture deeply impressed; few- to 10- or more-seeded; seed obliquely reniform, 2.5-3.5 x 1.5-2 mm, brown, smooth.

image of FSA2_Swainsona_vir.jpg
Image source: fig. 342B in J.P. Jessop and H.R. Toelken Ed. 1986. Flora of South Australia (4th edn).

Distribution:  S.Aust.: FR, EA.   N.S.W. (western section).

Conservation status: native

Flowering time: .Aug. — Nov.


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

Biology: No text

Taxonomic notes: At Quondong Station (EA) there is an atypical form with prostrate radiate stems and smaller leaves with obovate-retuse leaflets c. 2.5 x c. 1.5 mm.

Author: Not yet available


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