''Bossiaea inundata'' is a species of flowering plant in the family

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

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 the

Murchison River Gorge Murchison River Gorge is a riverine gorge in Mid West Western Australia. Carved by the meandering lower reaches of the Murchison River, it is more than long, and up to deep. It begins about north-northwest of Ajana, and extends to the mouth ...

in Western Australia. It is a spreading, openly-branched shrub with oblong, elliptic or egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, and deep yellow and red flowers.

Description

''Bossiaea inundata'' is a spreading, openly-branched shrub that typically grows up to a height of up to high and has ridged stems and short side shoots ending in a sharp point. The leaves are oblong, elliptic or egg-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, long and wide on a petiole long with tapering

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 usually arranged singly or in small groups, often on short, spiny side branches, 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 ...

long. There is often only one

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 long at the base of the pedicel. The five

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 joined at the base forming a tube long, the two upper lobes long and the three lower lobes long, with an oblong to egg-shaped

bracteole 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 on the pedicel. 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 deep yellow with a reddish base 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 ...

long, 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 ...

is pinkish-red with a greenish base and long. Flowering occurs from May to September.

Taxonomy and naming

''Bossiaea inundata'' was first formally described in 2006 by

James Henderson Ross James Henderson Ross (born 1941) is an Australian botanist. Authority abbreviation References {{DEFAULTSORT:Ross, James Henderson Living people 1941 births 20th-century Australian botanists ...

in the journal '' Muelleria'' from specimens collected in the bed of the Murchison River upstream from the Ross Graham lookout in 1998. 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 ...

(''inundata'') refers to the habitat of this species that results in the plants sometimes being inundated.

Distribution and habitat

This bossiaea grows in the bed and on the banks of the Murchison River in the

Geraldton Sandplains Geraldton (Wajarri: ''Jambinu'', Wilunyu: ''Jambinbirri'') is a coastal city in the Mid West region of the Australian state of Western Australia, north of the state capital, Perth. At June 2018, Geraldton had an urban population of 37,648. ...

biogeographic region An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of l ...

in the west of Western Australia.

Conservation status

''Bossiaea inundata'' is classified as " Priority Two" by the Western Australian Government

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 ...

meaning that it is poorly known and from only one or a few locations.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q51043411 inundata Flora of Western Australia Plants described in 2006