Bossiaea neoanglica

A prostrate to low-lying shrub, growing to around 50 cm tall. 

It has an interesting natural occurrence in New South Wales, growing in generally two disjunct patches, on the central coast between Campbelltown / Lake Burragorang and Bundanoon in the southern highlands; then further north from west of Gloucester, scattered on the north coast / northern tablelands area through areas such as Armidale and east of Glen Innes to Jennings on the border. It extends into Queensland, with disjunct records to Kroombit Tops (although this is also the northern limit for B. buxifolia and may be due to mis-identifications). 

It grows in dry sclerophyll woodland and forest, on sandy soils.

Bossiaea spp. have two ‘versions’ of foliage. Some species have simple leaves (sometimes described as uni-foliolate), arranged alternately or oppositely. Other species have leaves reduced with flattened or winged stems modified to cladodes, with mostly only juvenile growth having small leaves. As this is a member of the ‘pea’ family, stipules are present though usually small. In this species, true leaves are arranged alternately, ovate to more or less round, to 8 mm long and to 7 mm wide on a petiole to 0.8 mm long; dull green to blue-green in colour with the upper surface bearing minute tubercules and the lower surface hairy and paler.

Flowers are, of course, pea-shaped (a term sometimes used is papilionate), with 5 petals in a fixed arrangement; the main back petal is called the “standard”, two lateral petals called “wings” and two fused petals at the bottom called the “keel” (in which the anthers and one carpel tend to be hidden). In this species, flowers are borne singularly in leaf axils, to 9 mm long. The standard is dark reddish outside (lower surface) and bright yellow inside with red markings; the wings and keel are dark red with brown markings.

The fruit of all peas is a pod. In this species, it is oblong, to 25 mm long.