Swainsona paradoxa W.Fitzg.

Scientific Description

Prostrate,spreading or scrambling, herb. Stems terete, not spiny, glabrous; pustules or glands absent. Leaves or phylloclades clearly present, compound, alternate, continuous with stem, 45-80 mm long, hairy, with simple hairs, flat with recurved margins; margins entire; tubercles absent, leaflets 7-11, pinnately arranged, terminal leaflet present, stalked; pustules or glands absent. Stipules present and persistent to older leaves, 2 mm long, without glands, ribless. Pedicel present, 3-3.5 mm long, hairy. Bracteoles present and persistent, 0.7 mm long, hairy, not striate. Calyx 3-3.5 mm long, not accrescent, hairy, with simple hairs, ribless; pustules or glands absent. Corolla 8.5-10 mm long, multicoloured, mostly pink or purple, with some pink or purple spots, streaks or blotches; claws present; standard 8-9.2 mm long, glabrous, not auriculate, wings 7.5-8.6 mm long, not auriculate, keel 8-9.5 mm long, not beaked, not auriculate, glabrous. Stamens ten; anthers 0.4-0.5 mm long, at two different levels (filaments alternately long and short); filaments united in an open sheath with one free stamen, 7-7.5 mm long. Ovary stipitate, hairy or glandular; style 9-10.5 mm long, hairy or glandular towards the base, bearded (with a tuft of hairs at apex), terete. Fruit dehiscent (a pod or follicle), 15-20 mm long, 10-12 mm wide, stipitate, not constricted between the seeds, flat or compressed, glabrous. Flowers in April, May, July, August and September. Occurs in the Eremaean Botanical Province, in the Gascoyne, Murchison and Coolgardie IBRA regions.