Daviesia asperula is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to South Australia. It is a compact or spreading shrub with often crowded, flattened, tapering or curved, sharply pointed phyllodes, and orange-yellow and red flowers.

Daviesia asperula
In Wanilla Land Settlement Conservation Park
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Genus: Daviesia
Species:
D. asperula
Binomial name
Daviesia asperula

Description

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Daviesia asperula is a compact or spreading shrub that typically grows to a height of up to 2 m (6 ft 7 in). Its leaves are reduced to often crowded flattened, tapering or curved, sharply-pointed phyllodes, 5–25 mm (0.20–0.98 in) wide and 1–4.5 mm (0.039–0.177 in) wide. The flowers are arranged in groups of two or three in leaf axils on a peduncle up to 1 mm (0.039 in) long, each flower on a pedicel 1–2 mm (0.039–0.079 in) long. The five sepals are 2.5–3.0 mm (0.098–0.118 in) long and joined at the base, forming a bell-shaped tube with short lobes. The standard petal is broadly egg-shaped with a notched tip, yellow-orange with a red base and 7–8 mm (0.28–0.31 in) long and wide, the wings yellow-orange and about 5.5 mm (0.22 in) long and the keel orange-red and about 4.5 mm (0.18 in) long. Flowering occurs from August to October and the fruit is a slightly flattened triangular pod 10–14 mm (0.39–0.55 in) long.[2][3][4]

Taxonomy and naming

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Daviesia asperula was first formally described in 1995 by Michael Crisp in Australian Systematic Botany from specimens collected by Betty Phillips near Rocky River on Kangaroo Island in 1965.[2][5][4] The specific epithet (asperula) means "slightly rough", referring to the branchlets and phyllodes.[4]

In the same journal, Crisp described two subspecies and the names are accepted by the Australian Plant Census:

  • Daviesia asperula Crisp subsp. asperula[6] has phyllodes that are broadest at or near the base;[3][4]
  • Daviesia asperula Crisp subsp. obliqua Crisp[7] has curved phyllodes that are broadest at or beyond the middle.[3][4]

Distribution and habitat

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This species of pea mainly grows in mallee or open forest in poor soils on the Eyre and Fleurieu Peninsulas and on Kangaroo Island in South Australia.[2][4][8][9]

References

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  1. ^ "Daviesia asperula". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Crisp, Michael D.; Cayzer, Lindy; Chandler, Gregory T.; Cook, Lyn G. (2017). "A monograph of Daviesia (Mirbelieae, Faboideae, Fabaceae)". Phytotaxa. 300 (1): 146–149. doi:10.11646/phytotaxa.300.1.1.
  3. ^ a b c "Daviesia asperula". State Herbarium of South Australia. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Crisp, Michael D. "Notes on Daviesia and Pultenaea (Fabaceae) in South Australia". State Herbarium of South Australia. pp. 55–59. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  5. ^ "Daviesia asperula". APNI. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  6. ^ "Daviesia asperula subsp. asperula". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  7. ^ "Daviesia asperula subsp. obliqua". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  8. ^ "Daviesia asperula subsp. asperula". State Herbarium of South Australia. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  9. ^ "Daviesia asperula subsp. obliqua". State Herbarium of South Australia. Retrieved 18 October 2021.