Plants of
South Australia
Daviesia stricta
Fabaceae
Flinders Ranges Bitter-pea
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Etymology

Daviesia named after the Rev. Hugh Davies (1739-1821), a Welsh botanist and an Anglican clergyman. Stricta from the Latin 'strictus' meaning very upright or very straight, referring to the branchlets and phyllodes, which are usually stiffly erect.

Distribution and status

Endemic to South Australia and found only in the northern Flinders Ranges growing on ridge-tops and precipitous mountain slopes on skeletal, quartzite-derived soils in mallee-shrubland Native. Rare in South Australia.
Herbarium region: Flinders Ranges
NRM region: South Australian Arid Lands
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)

Plant description

Open shrub to 1.5 m tall with rigidly erect branchlets that are compressed, narrowly winged, and smooth. Phyllodes arranged spirally, erect or ascending, flat, narrow to linear-elliptic, obtuse or acute, articulate at base, to 100 mm long and 15 mm with with prominent midrib. Inflorescence in umbels of 1-5 per axil with orange purplish-centred pea-flowers, fading to yellow-brown. Flowering between August and October. Fruits are brown compressed, obtriangular pod to 13 mm long and 7 mm wide, enclosed at the base by an enlarged calyx. Seeds are compressed reniform seed to 2.5 mm wide. Seed embryo type is bent.

Seed collection and propagation

Collect seeds between September and November. Collect maturing brown seed pods from the plant using secateurs or by hand. Plant is prickly so it is advisable to wear gloves. Leave the pods in a paper bag to dry for at least a week. Rub the pods gently wiht a rubber bung to dislodge the seeds. Use a sieve to separate the seeds from unwanted material. Store the dried fruit heads with a desiccant such as dried silica beads or dry rice, in an air tight container in a cool and dry place. This species has physical dormancy that needs to be overcome for the seed to germinate (e.g. nicking or softening the seed coat).