Swainsona purpurea (A.T.Lee) Joy Thomps.

Scientific Description

Prostrate,spreading or scrambling, herb. Stems flattened, not spiny, hairy; pustules or glands absent. Leaves or phylloclades clearly present, compound, alternate, continuous with stem, 55-130 mm long, hairy, with simple hairs, flat with flat margins; margins entire; tubercles absent, leaflets 11-13, pinnately arranged, terminal leaflet present, stalked; pustules or glands absent. Stipules present and persistent to older leaves. Pedicel present, 2.5-4 mm long, hairy. Bracteoles present and persistent. Calyx 3-6.5 mm long, not accrescent, hairy, with simple hairs, ribless; pustules or glands absent. Corolla 10-17 mm long, multicoloured, mostly pink or purple, with some pink or purple spots, streaks or blotches; claws present; standard 8-15.5 mm long, glabrous, not auriculate, wings 10-13 mm long, auriculate, keel 7-12.5 mm long, not beaked, auriculate, glabrous. Stamens ten; anthers 0.6-1 mm long, at two different levels (filaments alternately long and short); filaments united in an open sheath with one free stamen, 6-12 mm long. Ovary stipitate, hairy or glandular; style 10-17.5 mm long, hairy or glandular towards the base, bearded (with a tuft of hairs at apex), flattened at apex. Fruit dehiscent (a pod or follicle), stipitate, not constricted between the seeds, round in cross-section, glabrous. Flowers in August, September and October. Occurs in the Eremaean and South-West Botanical Province, in the Gascoyne, Yalgoo, Murchison, Coolgardie and Avon Wheatbelt IBRA regions.