Swainsona microphylla
species of plant
Swainsona microphylla, commonly known as small-leaf swainson-pea, small-leaf swainsona, or poison swainson-pea is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to mainland Australia. It is a prostrate or low-growing, sometimes erect perennial herb, with imparipinnate leaves with mostly 21 to 41 broadly wedge-shaped to round leaflets and racemes of 5 to 10 white, pink or purple flowers.
Description
Swainsona microphylla is a prostrate or low-growing, sometimes erect perennial herb that typically grows to a height of up to 60 cm (24 in) long and sometimes has softly-hairy branches. The leaves are imparipinnate, mostly 50–150 mm (2.0–5.9 in) long with mostly broadly wedge-shaped to round leaflets, the leaflets 1–5 mm (0.039–0.197 in) long and wide with stipules 1–4 mm (0.039–0.157 in) long at the base of the petioles. The flowers are white, pink or purple, arranged in racemes of 10 to 25, on a peduncle 10–30 mm (0.39–1.18 in) wide, each flower 6–10 mm (0.24–0.39 in) long on a pedicel 1–2 mm (0.039–0.079 in) long. The sepals are joined at the base to form a tube about 1 mm (0.039 in) long, with teeth much shorter than the tube. The standard petal is 6–8 mm (0.24–0.31 in) long and 6–9 mm (0.24–0.35 in) wide, the wings 6–7 mm (0.24–0.28 in) long and the keel 4.5–7 mm (0.18–0.28 in) long and 2–3 mm (0.079–0.118 in) broad. The fruit is an almost spherical pod 5–10 mm (0.20–0.39 in) long and 3–9 mm (0.12–0.35 in) wide with the remains of the style 2–4 mm (0.079–0.157 in) long.
Taxonomy and naming
Swainsona microphylla was first formally described in 1854 by Asa Gray in the United States Exploring Expedition Phanerogamia. The specific epithet (microphylla) means "small-leaved".
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The subject matters to the science & nature register because the source frames it as species of plant. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated Apr 11, 2024. The linked authority identifier is Q15482774. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1854.
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This entry incorporates text from “Swainsona microphylla” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.