Daviesia mimosoides explained

Daviesia mimosoides, commonly known as blunt-leaf bitter-pea,^[1] narrow-leaf bitter pea or leafy bitter-pea,^[2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to eastern continental Australia. It is an open shrub with tapering, linear, elliptic or egg-shaped phyllodes, and groups of orange-yellow and dark brownish-red to maroon flowers.

Description

Daviesia mimosoides is an open shrub that typically grows to a height of up to, rarely tree-like to, and has many glabrous branches. The phyllodes are mostly narrowly elliptic, sometimes linear or egg-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, long and wide. The flowers are usually arranged in one or two racemes of five to ten flowers in leaf axils, on a peduncle long, the rachis long with narrowly oblong bracts at the base. The sepals are long and joined at the base, the upper two lobes joined for most of their length and the lower three triangular and long. The standard petal is broadly elliptic to egg-shaped, orange-yellow with dark brownish-red or maroon markings and a yellow centre and long. The wings are long and dark brownish-red or maroon with yellow tips, and the keel is long and maroon. Flowering mainly occurs in September and October and the fruit is a flattened, triangular pod long.^{[3] [4] [5] [6]}

Taxonomy

Daviesia mimosoides was first formally described in 1811 by Robert Brown in Aiton's Hortus Kewensis.^{[7] [8]} The specific epithet (mimosoides) means "Mimosa-like".^[9]

In 1991, Michael Crisp described two subspecies, and the names are accepted by the Australian Plant Census:

• Daviesia mimosoides subsp. acris Crisp^[10] has slightly glaucous leaves with a wedge-shaped base;^{[11] [12]}
• Daviesia mimosoides R.Br. subsp. mimosoides^[13] has dull green leaves that are narrower than those of subspecies acris and have a tapering base.^{[14] [15]}

Distribution and habitat

Blunt-leaf bitter-pea grows in the understorey of open forest from south-east Queensland, through eastern New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, to eastern Victoria, at altitudes from sea level to . Subspecies acris is restricted to exposed rocky peaks from the Brindabella Range in the Australian Capital Territory, through southern New South Wales to eastern Victoria, at altitudes above .

Notes and References

1. Web site: Jeanes . Jeff A. . Daviesia mimosoides . Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria . 20 February 2022.
2. Web site: Mullins . Effie . Daviesia mimosoides . Australian National Botanic Gardens . 20 February 2022.
3. Web site: Daviesia mimosoides . Crisp . Michael D. . Royal Botanic Garden Sydney . 20 February 2022.
4. Crisp . Michael D. . Cayzer . Lindy . Chandler . Gregory T. . Cook . Lyn G. . A monograph of Daviesia (Mirbelieae, Faboideae, Fabaceae) . Phytotaxa . 2017 . 300 . 1 . 113–117 . 10.11646/phytotaxa.300.1.1. free .
5. Web site: Wood . Betty . Daviesia mimosoides . Lucid Keys . 20 February 2022.
6. Book: Robinson . Les . Field guide to the native plants of Sydney . 1991 . Kangaroo Press . Kenthurst, NSW . 0864171927 . 76.
7. Web site: Daviesia mimosoides. APNI. 20 February 2022.
8. Book: Aiton . William . Hortus Kewensis . 1811 . Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown . London . 20 . Second . 3 . 1 February 2022.
9. Book: Sharr . Francis Aubi . George . Alex . Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings . 2019 . Four Gables Press . Kardinya, WA . 9780958034180. 3rd. 253.
10. Web site: Daviesia mimosoides subsp. acris. Australian Plant Census. 20 February 2022.
11. Web site: Daviesia mimosoides subsp. acris . Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney . 20 February 2022.
12. Web site: Jeanes . Jeff A. . Daviesia mimosoides subsp. acris . Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria . 20 February 2022.
13. Web site: Daviesia mimosoides subsp. mimosoides. Australian Plant Census. 20 February 2022.
14. Web site: Daviesia mimosoides subsp. mimosoides . Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney . 20 February 2022.
15. Web site: Jeanes . Jeff A. . Daviesia mimosoides subsp. mimosoides . Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria . 20 February 2022.