Bossiaea scolopendria
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Plank plant | |
|---|---|
 | |
| In Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Faboideae |
| Genus: | Bossiaea |
| Species: | B. scolopendria |
| Binomial name | |
| Bossiaea scolopendria | |
 | |
| Occurrence data from AVH | |
Bossiaea scolopendria, commonly known as plank plant or centipede pea,[2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to coastal regions of New South Wales. It is an erect, sparsely branched shrub with flattened branches ending in winged cladodes, scale leaves, and yellow and red flowers.
Bossiaea scolopendria is an erect, sparsely branched shrub that typically grows to a height of up to 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) or more. The branches are flattened and end in winged cladodes 6–15 mm (0.24–0.59 in) wide. Leaves are only present on young growth and are soon replaced by scales 1–2 mm (0.039–0.079 in) long and 0.4–0.6 mm (0.016–0.024 in) wide. The flowers are borne in up to thirty nodes on the sides of cladodes, each flower 10–14 mm (0.39–0.55 in) long on a pedicel 1–3 mm (0.039–0.118 in) long. There are two scales and one or a few bracts 1.5–2.5 mm (0.059–0.098 in) long at the base and bracteoles about 1.5–2.5 mm (0.059–0.098 in) long near the middle of the pedicel. The five sepals are 4–6 mm (0.16–0.24 in) long and joined at the base forming a tube, the upper lobes 2–3 mm (0.079–0.118 in) long and 1.0–1.5 mm (0.039–0.059 in) wide, the lower lobes 1.5–2.5 mm (0.059–0.098 in) long. The standard petal is yellow with a red base and up to about 15 mm (0.59 in) long, the wings are purplish brown and 3–4 mm (0.12–0.16 in) wide, and the keel is pale greenish yellow and 3–4 mm (0.12–0.16 in) wide. Flowering mainly occurs from August to September and the fruit is an oblong pod 30–45 mm (1.2–1.8 in) long.[3][4][5][6][7]