Daviesia alata explained

Daviesia alata is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to south-eastern New South Wales. It is a prostrate to low-lying shrub with winged branchlets that are triangular in cross-section, phyllodes reduced to scales, and orange, red, yellow and maroon flowers.

Description

Daviesia alata is a prostrate or low-lying shrub that typically spreads up to in diameter with stems up to long. The branchlets are triangular in cross-section, winged and dark green. The phyllodes are reduced to scales on mature plants but are egg-shaped to linear, long and wide on young plants. The flowers are arranged in leaf axils in groups of two to five on a peduncle long, each flower on a pedicel about long. The five sepals are long, the lobes about long. The standard petal is orange-red with a yellow centre, long, the wings maroon and about long and the keel maroon and about long. Flowering occurs from October to December and the fruit is a flattened triangular pod long.[1] [2] [3] [4]

Taxonomy

Daviesia alata was first formally described in 1808 by James Edward Smith in Rees's Cyclopædia from specimens collected "near Port Jackson".[5] [6]

Distribution and habitat

This pea grows in heath and forest on the coast and ranges of south-eastern New South Wales between Nelson Bay, the Budawangs and the Blue Mountains.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Daviesia alata . Royal Botanic Garden Sydney . 12 October 2021.
  2. Crisp . Michael D. . Cayzer . Lindy . Chandler . Gregory T. . Cook . Lyn G. . A monograph of Daviesia (Mirbelieae, Faboideae, Fabaceae) . Phytotaxa . 2017 . 300 . 1 . 103–105 . 10.11646/phytotaxa.300.1.1. free .
  3. Web site: Wood . Betty . Daviesia alata . Lucid Keys . 12 October 2021.
  4. Book: Robinson . Les . Field guide to the native plants of Sydney . 1991 . Kangaroo Press . Kenthurst, NSW . 0864171927 . 75.
  5. Web site: Daviesia alata. APNI. 12 October 2021.
  6. Book: Smith . James E. . Rees . Abraham (ed.) . The cyclopædia; or, Universal dictionary of arts, sciences, and literature . 11 . 1808 . Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme & Brown . London . 9 . 12 October 2021.