Bossiaea scolopendria

An erect, cladode-bearing shrub to a height of up to 1.5 metres, spreading in a clump-like fashion to about 1 metre wide.

It is endemic to NSW, occurring on the central and south coast botanical divisions, as far south as Sassafras (near Nowra), to around the Gosford area.

It is typically found on sandy and sandstone-based soils (i.e., Hawkesbury Sandstone), in heathland, shrubland as well as dry sclerophyll woodland and forest. 

Bossiaea spp. have two ‘versions’ of foliage. Some species have simple leaves (sometimes described as uni-foliolate), arranged either alternate or oppositely. Other species have leaves reduced with flattened or winged stems modified to cladodes, with mostly only juvenile growth having very small leaves. As this is a member of the ‘pea’ family, stipules are present though usually small. In this species, the leaves are reduced to scale leaves, only appearing on juvenile growth or reshooting parts, to about 2 mm long by 0.5 mm wide. The stems forming the foliage are flattened cladodes and have taken over the role of photosynthesis. They are up to 15 mm wide, and green / grey-green, often dividing into several parts, forming branches to 1.5 m long.

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, the flowers are borne mostly singularly at axillary nodes along the cladodes, each flower 10 to 14 mm long on a pedicel 1 to 3 mm long; the standard and keel is bright orange-yellow on the front side and red on the rear-side, with the keel red; mainly occurring from August to September. Flowering can be a very attractive display

All peas produce a pod. In this species, it is oblong, to 45 mm long, containing 5 to 10 seeds.