Daviesia genistifolia

Daviesia genistifolia - Broom Bitter Pea

Family - Fabaceae (Faboideae)

Common name - Broom Bitter Pea

Flowers and fruit - Small yellow and red-brown flowers are borne in leaf axils on short stalks. Seed pods are triangular. Flowering period is from August to October.

Leaves and stems - Leaves are reduced to spikes, rigid, and sharp. Stems and spines are striated.

Habit and habitat - Daviesia genistifolia is a low, multistemmed shrub which grows in open woodland.

Notice the striations in the stem and spines of Daviesia genistifolia

Unripe seed pods of Daviesia genistifolia

Daviesia genistifolia (Broom Bitter Pea) flowering in The Pilliga

Bossiaea rhombifolia subsp. concolor

Bossiaea rhombifolia subsp. concolor

Family - Fabaceae (Faboideae)

Common name - Nil

Flowers and fruit - Typical 'pea' flowers are bright yellow and crimson, born singly in leaf axils on very short stalks. Pods are obovate up to 25mm long. (According to PlantNet, flowers sometimes lack dark markings.) Flowering period is July to October.

Leaves and stems - Bluish-green or green leaves, longer than they are wide, are alternate on tiny stalks on round or slightly flattened stems. The leaves are often folded upwards along midrib. Stems are green to reddish-brown.

Habit and habitat - A hairless shrub about 1m tall, Bossiaea rhombifolia subsp. concolor grows mainly in dry sclerophyll forests. This plant flowers profusely and is an attractive plant in the bush, especially en mass.

Note: There are 2 subspecies of Bossiaea rhombifolia recorded in The Pilliga. Subspecies rhombifolia has leaves that are nearly as wide as they are long, whereas, subspecies concolor (featured here) has leaves considerably narrower than they are long. I have not yet (March 2014) observed subspecies rhombifolia.

Bossiaea rhombifolia subsp. concolor

Stems are sometimes flattened, and leaves sometimes folded upwards

Unripe fruit of Bossiaea rhombifolia subsp. concolor

Bossiaea rhombifolia in its natural habitat in The Pilliga

Hardenbergia violacea

Attractive flowers of Hardenbergia violacea in The Pilliga

Family - Fabaceae (Faboideae)

Common name - Purple Twining Pea, False Sarsaparilla

Flowers and fruit - Flowers are violet with a yellow centre, and are borne in racemes which are often very numerous and conspicuous making it an attractive bush plant. Seed pod is up to 45mm long, and maturing to dark brown. Flowering mostly in spring.

Leaves - Leaves are alternate, simple (not divided into 3 leaflets like other twining pea-flowers), firm, broadly ovate, strongly veined and up to about 9cm long.

Habit and habitat - Hardenbergia violacea is a common and vigorous twiner found in a variety of habitats and soil types. It may be a wiry trailing plant with long stems which twist through the undergrowth, over rocks and roadside banks, or it may scramble over shrubs and ascend small trees.

Numerous flowers and vigorous climbing habit of Hardenbergia violacea

Prominent veins in leaves, and dark brown seed pods

Hardenbergia violacea scrambles over shrubs