Swainsona gracilis Benth.

Scientific Description

Prostrate,spreading or scrambling, herb. Stems terete, not spiny, glabrous; pustules or glands absent. Leaves or phylloclades clearly present, compound, alternate, not continuous with stem, 20-50 mm long, glabrous, flat with flat 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. Pedicel present, 2.5-2.6 mm long, glabrous. Bracteoles present and persistent, 2-3 mm long, hairy, not striate. Calyx 4-4.5 mm long, not accrescent, glabrous, ribless; pustules or glands absent. Corolla 7-9 mm long, multicoloured, mostly purple or blue, with some purple or blue spots, streaks or blotches; claws present; standard 7-8.5 mm long, glabrous, not auriculate, wings 6.5-6.7 mm long, not auriculate, keel 7-7.5 mm long, beaked or not beaked, not auriculate, glabrous. Stamens ten; anthers 0.2-0.3 mm long, at two different levels (filaments alternately long and short); filaments united in an open sheath with one free stamen, 5-6.2 mm long. Ovary stipitate, glabrous; style 8-9.4 mm long, glabrous, bearded (with a tuft of hairs at apex), flattened at apex. Fruit dehiscent (a pod or follicle), 7-10 mm long, 6-7 mm wide, stipitate, not constricted between the seeds, flat or compressed, glabrous. Flowers in August and September. Occurs in the Eremaean and South-West Botanical Province, in the Carnarvon, Gascoyne, Yalgoo, Murchison, Coolgardie, Geraldton Sandplains and Avon Wheatbelt IBRA regions.