Pultenaea divaricata

An erect shrub growing to a height of 1 metre, typically with overall-narrow branches which spread apart, with stems that are more or less hairless.

It is confined to NSW, growing in disjunct populations, from north of Lithgow, south through Katoomba-area; then with a disjunction to the southern highlands, growing from Hill Top to Tallong and east to near Jamberoo, then with another disjunction east and south of Nerriga-area (Corang).

It is typically found in swampy-heath on sandstone.

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 in a dense arrangement, linear to needle-like, to 12 mm long and about 0.5 mm wide, with a groove along the upper surface and covered in small pimple-like glands (tuberculate).

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, the flowers are arranged in dense terminal clusters, to 10 mm long, yellow to orange-yellow in colour and surrounded by bracts about 2.5 mm long; the standard petal and wings are yellow to orange with red markings and the keel is yellow.

The fruit of all peas is a pod. In this species, they are flat and to 5 mm long.