Cullen patens (Lindl.) J.W.Grimes

Scientific Description

Prostrate,spreading or scrambling, herb. Stems terete, not spiny, hairy; pustules or glands present. Leaves or phylloclades clearly present, compound, alternate, not continuous with stem, 35-80 mm long, hairy, with simple hairs, flat with flat margins; margins entire; tubercles absent, pinnately arranged, terminal leaflet present, stalked; pustules or glands present. Stipules present and persistent to older leaves, 5-6 mm long, with glands, ribless. Pedicel present or absent (flowers sessile), 0.5 mm long, hairy. Bracteoles absent. Calyx 6-9 mm long, accrescent (enlarged in fruit), hairy, with simple hairs, ribless; pustules or glands present. Corolla 7-8.5 mm long, uniformly coloured, purple; claws present; standard 6-7 mm long, glabrous, not auriculate, wings 6-6.5 mm long, not auriculate, keel 5.5-6 mm long, not beaked, not auriculate, glabrous. Stamens ten; anthers 0.3 mm long, at two different levels (filaments alternately long and short); filaments united in an open sheath with one free stamen, 5-6 mm long. Ovary stipitate, glabrous; style 5-6 mm long, glabrous, not bearded, terete. Fruit indehiscent and splitting into sections (schizocarps), not constricted between the seeds, round in cross-section, not beaked. Flowers in April and October. Occurs in the Eremaean and South-West Botanical Province, in the Pilbara, Coolgardie and Avon Wheatbelt IBRA regions.