''Bossiaea foliosa'', commonly known as leafy bossiaea,
is a species of flowering plant in the family
and is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
to south-eastern Australia. It is an erect shrub with small, broadly egg-shaped to round leaves, and bright yellow flowers.
Description
''Bossiaea foliosa'' is an erect shrub that typically grows to a height of up to about and has hairy branches. The leaves are arranged alternately along the stems, broadly egg-shaped to more or less round, long and wide with more or less persistent triangular
stipule
In botany, a stipule is an outgrowth typically borne on both sides (sometimes on just one side) of the base of a leafstalk (the petiole). Stipules are considered part of the anatomy of the leaf of a typical flowering plant, although in many speci ...
s long at the base. The flowers are long and arranged singly in leaf axils, each flower 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
...
up to long with a few crowded
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 about long. 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 with narrow elliptic
bracteoles
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 ...
long at the base of the sepal tube. The petals are uniformly bright yellow, the petals more or less equal in length. Flowering occurs from October to December and the fruit is a more or less round
pod long.
Taxonomy
''Bossiaea foliosa'' was first formally described in 1825 by
Allan Cunningham who found it growing in "brushy forest-land near
Bathurst" and published the description in the chapter "On the Botany of the Blue Mountains" of
Barron Field's book, ''Geographical Memoirs on New South Wales''.
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 ...
(''foliosa'') means "leafy".
Distribution and habitat
Leafy bossiaea grows in open forest and woodland, sometimes in ''
Sphagnum
''Sphagnum'' is a genus of approximately 380 accepted species of mosses, commonly known as sphagnum moss, peat moss, also bog moss and quacker moss (although that term is also sometimes used for peat). Accumulations of ''Sphagnum'' can store wa ...
'' bogs, at high altitudes south from near
Orange
Orange most often refers to:
*Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis''
** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower
*Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum
* ...
in New South Wales through the Australian Capital Territory to the ranges in the east and north-east of Victoria.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q4947581
foliosa
Flora of New South Wales
Flora of the Australian Capital Territory
Flora of Victoria (state)
Plants described in 1825