Dillwynia cinerascens, commonly known as grey parrot-pea,[2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is an erect to low-lying shrub with linear or thread-like leaves and orange or yellow flowers.

Grey parrot-pea
Dillwynia cinerascens in Royal Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Genus: Dillwynia
Species:
D. cinerascens
Binomial name
Dillwynia cinerascens

Description edit

Dillwynia cinerascens is a low-lying to erect, heath-like shrub that grows to a height of 0.3–1.5 m (1 ft 0 in – 4 ft 11 in) with hairs flattened against its stems. The leaves are linear to thread-like, 5–20 mm (0.20–0.79 in) long and 0.3–0.5 mm (0.012–0.020 in) wide, sometimes with a few white hairs. The flowers are mostly orange or yellow and arranged in short racemes or corymbs, usually on the ends of branchlets, each flower sessile or on a short peduncle. There are hairy bracts about 1 mm (0.039 in) long and the sepals are about 4 mm (0.16 in) long. The standard petal is 5–8 mm (0.20–0.31 in) long, the wings shorter and the keel shortest. Flowering occurs from September to December and the fruit is an egg-shaped pod 3–5 mm (0.12–0.20 in) long and 1.5 mm (0.059 in) wide containing smooth seeds.[2][3][4][5]

Taxonomy edit

Dillwynia cinerascens was first formally described by botanist Robert Brown in the Botanical Magazine in 1821. Brown came across the plant in 1804 growing near the River Derwent in Tasmania.[6][7] The specific epithet (cinerascens) means "becoming ash-grey".[8]

Distribution edit

Grey parrot-pea grows in dry forest and woodland and is widespread in Victoria but also occurring in New South Wales south from near Bathurst, in Tasmania and in the far south-east of South Australia.[2][3][4][5]

References edit

  1. ^ "Dillwynia cinerascens". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Jeanes, Jeff A. "Dillwynia cinerascens". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  3. ^ a b P.H. Weston & P.C. Jobson. "New South Wales Flora Online: Dillwynia cinerascens". Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust, Sydney, Australia.
  4. ^ a b "Dillwynia cinerascens". State Herbarium of South Australia. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Dillwynia cinerascens". Lucid Keys. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  6. ^ "Dillwynia cinerascens". APNI. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  7. ^ Brown, Robert; Sims, John (ed.) (1821). "Dillwynia cinerascens". Curtis's Botanical Magazine. 48: 2247. Retrieved 23 May 2021. {{cite journal}}: |first2= has generic name (help)
  8. ^ Sharr, Francis Aubi; George, Alex (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (3rd ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 164. ISBN 9780958034180.