Pultenaea scabra

An erect or spreading shrub to a height of 2 metres with a narrow spread, with densely hairy stems.

It grows in NSW, south from the area to the east of Mudgee and Gulgong, and east from around Parkes, through the Blue Mountains, Sydney and Lake Burragorang, as well as the southern highlands; with a disjunction to the Braidwood area and extending south to Narooma; then another disjunction to Eden, continuing to the Victorian border.

The range continues through Victoria and into the east of South Australia. There are some very disjunct records in SE Queensland (this may be a different species).

It grows in heath and dry sclerophyll woodland and forest, usually on sandy 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, cuneate to obcordate (heart-shaped), with the narrower end towards the base, to 16 mm long and to 13 mm wide, mid green in colour, with the tip having a squared-off edge and conspicuous mucro; with triangular to lanceolate stipules, to 4 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, the flowers are arranged in usually clusters of 3 or more flowers, at the branch terminals; yellow to orange in colour; the standard petal is to 12 mm across, with a red base; the wings are yellow and red and shorter than the standard, and the keel is dark red to crimson; occurring from September to November.

The fruit of all peas is a pod. In this species, it is to 7 mm long and flattened.