''Bossiaea scortechinii'' 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 eastern Australia. It is a prostrate to low-lying shrub with

simple Simple or SIMPLE may refer to: *Simplicity, the state or quality of being simple Arts and entertainment * ''Simple'' (album), by Andy Yorke, 2008, and its title track * "Simple" (Florida Georgia Line song), 2018 * "Simple", a song by Johnn ...

, elliptic to egg-shaped leaves with the narrower end towards the base, and orange-yellow flowers with red to pinkish markings.

Description

''Bossiaea scortechinii'' is a prostrate to low-lying shrub that typically grows to up to high and wide. The leaves are arranged alternately along the branches, elliptic to egg-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, long and wide on a petiole long. The flowers are about long on

pedicels In botany, a pedicel is a stem that attaches a single flower to the inflorescence. Such inflorescences are described as ''pedicellate''. Description Pedicel refers to a structure connecting a single flower to its inflorescence. In the absenc ...

mostly long with a few

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 and narrow oblong to linear

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 ...

about long near the middle 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 long and joined at the base forming a tube, the upper lobes long and wide, the lower lobes wide. 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 orange-yellow sometimes with a red base, and about 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, about the same length as the keel and about wide, 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 ...

pink and about wide. Flowering mainly occurs in spring and the fruit is a hairy, oblong pod long.

Taxonomy

''Bossiaea scortechinii'' was first formally described in 1883 by

Ferdinand von Mueller Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, (german: Müller; 30 June 1825 – 10 October 1896) was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist. He was appointed government botanist for the then colony of Vict ...

in the ''Southern Science Record'' from specimens collected by

Benedetto Scortechini Benedetto Scortechini (1845–1886) was an Italian botanist, explorer, and Roman Catholic priest. Biography He graduated from the Sapienza University of Rome as a priest and a lawyer. Accompanied by the priest Jerome Davadi (1846–1900) and one ...

near the

Dumaresq River The Dumaresq River ; (Indigenous Bigambul: ''Karaula'') a perennial stream of the Macintyre catchment within the Murray–Darling basin, is located in the Northern Tablelands and North West Slopes regions of New South Wales and the Darling Downs ...

near

Stanthorpe Stanthorpe is a rural town and locality in the Southern Downs Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Stanthorpe had a population of 5,406 people. The area surrounding the town is known as the Granite Belt. Geography Stanthorpe lies on the New ...

Distribution and habitat

''Bossiaea scortechinii'' grows in forest on sandy or granitic soils between

Miriam Vale Miriam Vale is a rural town and locality in the Gladstone Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Miriam Vale had a population of 512 people. Geography The town is situated on the Bruce Highway, north of Brisbane, the state capital, and south ...

in south-eastern Queensland and

Inverell Inverell is a large town in northern New South Wales, Australia, situated on the Macintyre River, close to the Queensland border. It is also the centre of Inverell Shire. Inverell is located on the Gwydir Highway on the western slopes of the No ...

in north-eastern New South Wales.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15525714 scortechinii Flora of New South Wales Flora of Queensland Plants described in 1883 Taxa named by Ferdinand von Mueller