Botanical art
Prior names
Pultenaea filifolia
Pultenaea laxiflora var. procumbens
Pultenaea quadricolor
Pultenaea laxiflora var. pilosa
Common names
Loose-flower Bush-pea
Etymology
Pultenaea named after Richard Pulteney (1730-1801), an English physician, botanist and biographer of Carl Linnaeus. Laxiflora from the Latin 'laxus' meaning loose or open and 'florus' meaning flower.
Distribution and status
Found on Kangaroo Island, Mount Lofty Ranges and the South-east in South Australia, growing in dry sclerophyll woodland. Also found in New South Wales and Victoria Native. Rare in South Australia. Common in the other states.
Herbarium regions: Northern Lofty, Murray, Southern Lofty, Kangaroo Island, South Eastern, Green Adelaide
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Slender spreading or semi-prostrate shrub to 60 cm high with pale stems covered in appressed hairs when young. Leaves alternate, linear-terete, to 12 mm long, grooved above, usually broader at tip, apex obtuse, recurved, upper surface light green and glabrous, darker beneath and slightly hairy. Inflorescence in clusters of 3–6 yellow pea-flowers on a long (2-6 mm) hairy stalk. Flowering between October to November. Fruits are hairy flatten brown ovoid pod to 5 mm long. Seed embryo type is bent.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between November and January. Collect maturing pods, those that are brown or turning brown and contain hard dark seeds inside. Place the pods in a paper bag and leave to dry for one to two weeks. Then rub the pods with a rubber bung to dislodge the seeds. Use a sieve to separate the unwanted material. Store the seeds with a desiccant such as dried silica beads or dry rice, in an air tight container in a cool and dry place. Place the pods in a paper bag and leave to dry for one to two weeks. Then rub the pods with a rubber bung to dislodge the seeds. Use a sieve to separate the unwanted material. Store the seeds with a desiccant such as dried silica beads or dry rice, in an air tight container in a cool and dry place.