''Bossiaea arenitensis '', commonly known as sandstone winged pea, is a species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the pea family

Fabaceae The Fabaceae or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomenc ...

and is endemic to the

Kimberley Kimberly or Kimberley may refer to: Places and historical events Australia * Kimberley (Western Australia) ** Roman Catholic Diocese of Kimberley * Kimberley Warm Springs, Tasmania * Kimberley, Tasmania a small town * County of Kimberley, a ...

region of Western Australia. It is an erect, spindly shrub with winged stems, winged cladodes, scale-like leaves and yellow, red and burgundy-coloured flowers.

Description

''Bossiaea arenitensis'' is an erect, spindly shrub that typically grows to high and wide. The stems are winged with a powdery white coating, and winged cladodes wide. The leaves are reduced to dark brown, narrow egg-shaped scales, long. The flowers are arranged singly or in pairs on a

pedicel Pedicle or pedicel may refer to: Human anatomy *Pedicle of vertebral arch, the segment between the transverse process and the vertebral body, and is often used as a radiographic marker and entry point in vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures ...

long with overlapping, narrow egg-shaped, brownish

bract In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of ...

s. The

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined b ...

s are long and joined at the base forming a tube, the two upper lobes long and the lower three lobes long. The

standard Standard may refer to: Symbols * Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs * Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification Norms, conventions or requirements * Standard (metrology), an object th ...

petal is golden yellow with red and yellow markings and long, the

wings A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expresse ...

yellow or orange and the

keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in Br ...

yellow to burgundy-coloured. Flowering has been observed in January, April and June and the fruit is an oblong pod long.

Taxonomy and naming

''Bossiaea arenitensis'' was first formally described in 2015 by

Russell Lindsay Barrett Russell Lindsay Barrett (born 1977) is an Australian botanist. Names published (incomplete list of the 129 published names) *'' Typhonium peltandroides'' Nuytsia, 13(1): 243 (1999) *'' Gahnia halmaturina'' R.L.Barrett & K.L.Wilson Journal Ade ...

in the journal ''

Nuytsia ''Nuytsia floribunda'' is a hemiparasitic tree found in Western Australia. The species is known locally as moodjar and, more recently, the Christmas tree or Western Australian Christmas tree. The display of intensely bright flowers during the ...

'' from specimens collected on Mount Elizabeth Station in 2007. The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

(''arenitensis'') is the latinised version of

arenite Arenite (Latin: ''arena'', "sand") is a sedimentary clastic rock with sand grain size between 0.0625 mm (0.00246 in) and 2 mm (0.08 in) and contain less than 15% matrix. The related adjective is ''arenaceous''. The equivalent ...

, a form of sandstone on which this species grows.

Distribution and habitat

Sandstone winged pea grows in woodland on sandstone ridges and outcrops and is relatively widespread in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.

Conservation status

This bossiaea is listed as "not threatened" by the Government of Western Australia

Department of Parks and Wildlife The Department of Parks and Wildlife (DPaW) was the department of the Government of Western Australia responsible for managing lands described in the ''Conservation and Land Management Act 1984'' and implementing the state's conservation and e ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q22987911 Mirbelioids arenitensis Rosids of Western Australia Taxa named by Russell Lindsay Barrett Plants described in 2015