''Chorizema humile'' 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 the
southwest of Western Australia. It is a sprawling, prostrate or low-lying shrub with egg-shaped or wedge-shaped leaves and yellow and reddish-brown flowers.
Description
''Chorizema humile'' is a sprawling, prostrate or low-lying shrub with branches long. Its leaves are leathery, egg-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, or wedge-shaped, long with a short, down-turned point on the end. The flowers are arranged in
raceme
A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the s ...
s, each flower on a short
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
...
. 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 softly-hairy and about long, the upper two lobes joined for about half their length. The
standard petal is twice as long as the sepals, 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 ...
slightly longer than the sepals. Flowering occurs from July to September.
Taxonomy
''Chorizema humile'' was first formally described in 1853 by
Nikolai Turczaninow in the ''Bulletin de la Société Impériale des Naturalistes de Moscou'' from specimens collected by
James Drummond.
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 ...
(''humile'') means "low in stature".
Distribution and habitat
This species of pea grows on plains in sandy clay or loam in the
Avon Wheatbelt and
Geraldton Sandplains bioregions of south-western Western Australia.
Conservation status
''Chorizema humile'' is listed as "
Threatened
Threatened species are any species (including animals, plants and fungi) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future. Species that are threatened are sometimes characterised by the population dynamics measure of ''critical depensat ...
" by the Western Australian Government
Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions
The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) is the Western Australian government
The Government of Western Australia, formally referred to as His Majesty's Government of Western Australia, is the Australian state de ...
,
meaning that it is in danger of extinction.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q27828402
humile
Fabales of Australia
Endemic flora of Southwest Australia
Taxa named by Nikolai Turczaninow
Plants described in 1853