Pultenaea altissima, commonly known as tall bush-pea,[2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to south-eastern continental Australia. It is an erect shrub with spatula-shaped to egg-shaped leaves and yellow flowers in clusters at the ends of branches.
Tall bush-pea | |
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Pultenaea altissima near Tantawangalo | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Fabales |
Family: | Fabaceae |
Subfamily: | Faboideae |
Genus: | Pultenaea |
Species: | P. altissima
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Binomial name | |
Pultenaea altissima | |
Synonyms[1] | |
Description
editPultenaea altissima is an erect shrub that typically grows to a height of 2–3 mm (0.079–0.118 in) with often drooping, glabrous branches. The leaves are spatula-shaped to egg-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, 5–15 mm (0.20–0.59 in) long and 1.5–3 mm (0.059–0.118 in) wide with stipules 1–2 mm (0.039–0.079 in) long at the base. The flowers are borne in clusters in leaf axils at the ends of the branchlets on pedicels 2–3 mm (0.079–0.118 in) long with bracteoles 1–1.5 mm (0.039–0.059 in) long at the base of the sepals. The sepals are 3–5 mm (0.12–0.20 in) long and mostly glabrous and the standard petal is yellow and 9–10 mm (0.35–0.39 in) long. Flowering occurs from September to October and the fruit is an oval pod 5–7 mm (0.20–0.28 in) long.[2][3]
Taxonomy and naming
editPultenaea altissima was first formally described in 1864 by George Bentham in Flora Australiensis from an unpublished description by Ferdinand von Mueller.[4][5] The specific epithet (altissima) means "very tall".[6]
Distribution and habitat
editThis pultenaea grows in heath and woodland, often near swamps or watercourse, on the tablelands of New South Wales, south-eastern Queensland and the far north-east of Victoria.[2][3]
References
edit- ^ a b "Pultenaea altissima". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
- ^ a b c "Pultenaea altissima". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
- ^ a b Corrick, Margaret G. "Pultenaea acerosa". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
- ^ "Pultenaea altissima". APNI. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
- ^ Bentham, George; von Mueller, Ferdinand (1864). Flora Australiensis. Vol. 2. London: Lovell Reeve & Co. p. 123. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
- ^ Sharr, Francis Aubi; George, Alex (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (3rd ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 130. ISBN 9780958034180.