Swainsona stenodonta F.Muell.

Scientific Description

Prostrate,spreading or scrambling, herb. Stems terete, not spiny, glabrous; pustules or glands absent. Leaves or phylloclades clearly present, compound, alternate, not continuous with stem, 50-60 mm long, hairy, with simple hairs, flat with flat margins; margins entire; tubercles absent, leaflets 7-9, pinnately arranged, terminal leaflet present, stalked; pustules or glands absent. Stipules present and persistent to older leaves, 3-4 mm long, without glands, ribless. Pedicel present, 3 mm long, hairy. Bracteoles present and persistent, 0.5-1 mm long, hairy, not striate. Calyx 5-7.5 mm long, not accrescent, hairy, with simple hairs, ribless; pustules or glands absent. Corolla 9-14 mm long, multicoloured, mostly black or purple, with some black or purple spots, streaks or blotches; claws present; standard 8-14 mm long, glabrous, auriculate, wings 7-10.5 mm long, auriculate, keel 9-13.5 mm long, not beaked, auriculate, glabrous. Stamens ten; anthers 0.8-1.2 mm long, at two different levels (filaments alternately long and short); filaments united in an open sheath with one free stamen, 6-10 mm long. Ovary stipitate, hairy or glandular or glabrous; style 13-14 mm long, hairy or glandular towards the base, bearded (with a tuft of hairs at apex), flattened at apex. Fruit dehiscent (a pod or follicle), stipitate, not constricted between the seeds, round in cross-section, glabrous. Flowers in July, August, September and October. Occurs in the Eremaean Botanical Province, in the Pilbara IBRA regions.