Pultenaea capitellata

A sprawling to prostrate shrub, with hairy stems up to 50 cm long.

It is found in NSW on the central and southern tablelands, as well as south coast; growing mainly from Lithgow-region, in disjunct patches south to Braidwood, then through to Bombala on the tablelands/coastal divide. There are also records in the ACT and further west towards Batlow. There are a few very disjunct records south of Eden, as well as north-east of Tenterfield. It extends into the north-eastern parts of Victoria.

It is typically found in swampy heath to dry sclerophyll woodlands and forests, on acidic soils.

Pultenaea is a member of the “pea” family. This generally means that leaves are alternate with stipules (leaf-like appendages) at the base of the petioles. Pultenaea spp. however, can sometimes have opposite leaves or leaves in whorls of 3. One of the key features of Pultenaea is that the stipules are fused behind the axillary bud.

In this species, the leaves are alternate, elliptic to broadly egg-shaped to 12 mm long and to 5 mm wide, with a central groove and sometimes with a pointy tip; stipules 1 to 3 mm long at the base.

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). Pultenaea spp. sometimes have bracts surrounding the inflorescences, and bracteoles attached to the calyx tube or just below on the pedicels (at different locations in different species). These bracteoles can also have accompanying stipules.

In this species, yellow to orange flowers are borne in dense clusters or heads, at the terminals of the branchlets with hairy, overlapping, three-lobed bracts at their bases. The standard petal is about 1 cm across long, often with reddish markings; the wings are yellow to orange and the keel is red to purple; occurring from November to January.

The fruit of all peas is a pod. In this species, they are to 6 mm long, usually ovate in shape.