Swainsona paucifoliolata Joy Thomps.

Scientific Description

Prostrate,spreading or scrambling, herb. Stems flattened, not spiny, glabrous; pustules or glands absent. Leaves or phylloclades clearly present, compound, alternate, continuous with stem, 35-65 mm long, hairy, with simple hairs, flat with flat margins; margins entire; tubercles absent, leaflets 3-7, pinnately arranged, terminal leaflet present, stalked; pustules or glands absent. Stipules present and persistent to older leaves, 2-5.5 mm long, without glands, ribless. Pedicel present, 2-2.5 mm long, hairy. Bracteoles present and persistent. Calyx 5-5.6 mm long, not accrescent, hairy, with simple hairs, ribless; pustules or glands absent. Corolla 7-15 mm long, multicoloured, mostly pink or purple, with some pink or purple spots, streaks or blotches; claws present; standard 8-14.5 mm long, glabrous, not auriculate, wings 7-10 mm long, auriculate, keel 8-11.5 mm long, not beaked, auriculate, glabrous. Stamens ten; anthers 0.5-0.7 mm long, at two different levels (filaments alternately long and short); filaments united in an open sheath with one free stamen, 7-9 mm long. Ovary stipitate, hairy or glandular; style 11.5-14 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. Flowers in April, August and September. Occurs in the Eremaean Botanical Province, in the Pilbara, Carnarvon, Yalgoo and Murchison IBRA regions.