''Gompholobium'', commonly known as glory peas or wedge-peas, is a genus of plants in the pea 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 ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. Most species have compound leaves composed of three leaflets and all have ten

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

s which are free from each other and a distinctive arrangement of their

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 ...

Description

Plants in the genus ''Gompholobium'' mostly have leaves composed of three separate leaflets but some species have simple leaves and others have

pinnate Pinnation (also called pennation) is the arrangement of feather-like or multi-divided features arising from both sides of a common axis. Pinnation occurs in biological morphology, in crystals, such as some forms of ice or metal crystals, and in ...

leaves. The leaflets are arranged alternately along the stems and are usually narrow and have smooth edges. The flowers are usually arranged in groups on the ends of the branches, sometimes singly or in pairs. The sepals form a short tube with five lobes longer than the tube. The large "standard" petal at the back of the flower is circular to kidney-shaped and is larger than the other petals. There are ten free stamens and the ovary is

glabrous Glabrousness (from the Latin '' glaber'' meaning "bald", "hairless", "shaved", "smooth") is the technical term for a lack of hair, down, setae, trichomes or other such covering. A glabrous surface may be a natural characteristic of all or part of ...

. The fruit is an oblong to almost spherical

legume A legume () is a plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seed of such a plant. When used as a dry grain, the seed is also called a pulse. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consumption, for livestock f ...

containing two to many

ovule In seed plants, the ovule is the structure that gives rise to and contains the female reproductive cells. It consists of three parts: the ''integument'', forming its outer layer, the ''nucellus'' (or remnant of the megasporangium), and the fe ...

Taxonomy and naming

The genus ''Gompholobium'' was first formally described in 1798 by

James Edward Smith James Edward Smith may refer to: * James Edward Smith (botanist), English botanist and founder of the Linnean Society * James Edward Smith (murderer), American murderer * James Edward Smith (politician), Canadian businessman and mayor of Toronto * ...

and the description was published in ''

Transactions of the Linnean Society of London The Linnean Society of London is a learned society dedicated to the study and dissemination of information concerning natural history, evolution, and taxonomy. It possesses several important biological specimen, manuscript and literature colle ...

''. In 2008, ''Gompholobium grandiflorum'' was designated the

lectotype In biology, a type is a particular specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached. In other words, a type is an example that serves to anchor or centralizes the ...

. The genus name is derived from the

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...

words ''gomphos'', meaning "bolt", "peg", or "nail" and ''lobos'' meaning a "capsule" or "pod" referring to "the inflated shape of the seed pods".

Distribution

Glory peas are found in all states of Australia.

Species

The following is a list of species accepted by the

Australian Plant Census The Australian Plant Census (APC) provides an online interface to currently accepted, published, scientific names of the vascular flora of Australia, as one of the output interfaces of the national government Integrated Biodiversity Information Syst ...

as at July 2021: * ''

Gompholobium aristatum ''Gompholobium aristatum'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It an erect shrub that typically grows to a height of . It flowers between July and December producing yellow ...

Benth. George Bentham (22 September 1800 – 10 September 1884) was an English botanist, described by the weed botanist Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century". Born into a distinguished family, he initially studie ...

(W.A.) * ''

Gompholobium aspalathoides ''Gompholobium aspalathoides'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is an erect, more or less glabrous shrub with trifoliate leaves with linear to narrow elliptic leaflets, and yellow pea ...

A.Cunn. Allan Cunningham (13 July 1791 – 27 June 1839) was an English botanist and explorer, primarily known for his travels in Australia to collect plants. Early life Cunningham was born in Wimbledon, Surrey, England, the son of Allan Cu ...

ex Benth. (N.S.W., Qld.) * ''

Gompholobium baxteri ''Gompholobium baxteri'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It an erect shrub that typically grows to a height of and flowers between August and December producing yellow ...

'' Benth. (W.A.) * ''

Gompholobium burtonioides ''Gompholobium burtonioides'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It an ascending shrub that typically grows to a height of and flowers from September to December producin ...

Meisn. Carl Daniel Friedrich Meissner (1 November 1800 – 2 May 1874) was a Swiss botanist. Biography Born in Bern, Switzerland on 1 November 1800, he was christened Meisner but later changed the spelling of his name to Meissner. For most of his 40 ...

(W.A.) * '' Gompholobium capitatum'' A.Cunn. (W.A.) * '' Gompholobium cinereum'' Chappill (W.A.) * '' Gompholobium confertum'' (

DC. Augustin Pyramus (or Pyrame) de Candolle (, , ; 4 February 17789 September 1841) was a Swiss botanist. René Louiche Desfontaines launched de Candolle's botanical career by recommending him at a herbarium. Within a couple of years de Candolle ...

) Crisp (W.A.) * '' Gompholobium cyaninum'' Chappill (W.A.) * ''

Gompholobium ecostatum ''Gompholobium ecostatum'', commonly known as dwarf wedge-pea, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to southern Australia. It is a low-lying to erect shrub with trifoliate leaves with linear to lance-shaped leafl ...

'' Kuchel — dwarf wedge-pea (Vic., S.A., Tas.) * '' Gompholobium foliolosum'' Benth. (Qld., N.S.W.) * '' Gompholobium gairdnerianum'' Chappill (W.A.) * '' Gompholobium glabratum'' DC. – dainty wedge-pea (W.A.) * '' Gompholobium glutinosum'' Chappill (W.A.) * '' Gompholobium gompholobioides'' (

F.Muell. 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 Vic ...

) Crisp (W.A.) * ''

Gompholobium grandiflorum ''Gompholobium grandiflorum'', commonly known as large wedge-pea, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to eastern New South Wales. It is an erect, more or less glabrous shrub with trifoliate leaves and lemon-yel ...

Sm. __NOTOC__ Sir James Edward Smith (2 December 1759 – 17 March 1828) was an English botanist and founder of the Linnean Society. Early life and education Smith was born in Norwich in 1759, the son of a wealthy wool merchant. He displayed a ...

(N.S.W.) * '' Gompholobium hendersonii'' Paxton (W.A.) * '' Gompholobium huegelii'' Benth. – common wedge-pea (Qld., N.S.W., Vic., Tas.) * '' Gompholobium inconspicuum'' Crisp – creeping wedge-pea (N.S.W., Vic.) * '' Gompholobium karijini'' Chappill (W.A.) * '' Gompholobium knightianum''

Lindl. John Lindley FRS (5 February 1799 – 1 November 1865) was an English botanist, gardener and orchidologist. Early years Born in Catton, near Norwich, England, John Lindley was one of four children of George and Mary Lindley. George Lindley ...

(W.A.) * '' Gompholobium latifolium'' Sm. – giant wedge-pea (N.S.W.) * '' Gompholobium laxum'' (Benth.) Chappill (W.A.) * ''

Gompholobium marginatum ''Gompholobium marginatum'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a prostrate or low, spreading shrub with palmate leaves and uniformly yellow, pea-like flowers. Descr ...

'' R.Br. (W.A.) * '' Gompholobium minus'' Sm. – dwarf wedge-pea (N.S.W.) * '' Gompholobium muticum'' (Benth.) Chappill (W.A.) * '' Gompholobium nitidum''

Sol. Daniel Carlsson Solander or Daniel Charles Solander (19 February 1733 – 13 May 1782) was a Swedish naturalist and an apostle of Carl Linnaeus. Solander was the first university-educated scientist to set foot on Australian soil. Biography ...

ex Benth. (Qld.) * '' Gompholobium obcordatum'' Turcz. (W.A.) * '' Gompholobium oreophilum''

C.F.Wilkins Carolyn F. Wilkins (born 1945) is an Australian botanist, who currently (April 2020) works for the Western Australian Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. She (together with others) has revised the genera, '' Jacksonia'' ...

Trudgen The trudgen is a swimming stroke sometimes known as the ''racing stroke'', or the ''East Indian stroke''. It is named after the English swimmer John Trudgen (1852–1902) and evolved out of sidestroke. One swims mostly upon one side, making an o ...

(W.A.) * '' Gompholobium ovatum'' Meisn. (W.A.) * '' Gompholobium pinnatum'' Sm. – pinnate wedge-pea (Qld., N.S.W.) * '' Gompholobium polymorphum'' R.Br. (W.A.) * '' Gompholobium polyzygum'' F.Muell. (W.A., N.T.) * '' Gompholobium preissii'' Meisn. (W.A.) * '' Gompholobium pungens'' Chappill (W.A.) * '' Gompholobium roseum'' Chappill (W.A.) * '' Gompholobium scabrum'' Sm. (W.A.) * '' Gompholobium shuttleworthii'' Meisn. (W.A.) * '' Gompholobium simplicifolium'' (F.Muell. &

Tate Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the U ...

) Crisp (W.A., N.T.) * '' Gompholobium subulatum'' Benth. (W.A., N.T.) * '' Gompholobium tomentosum'' Labill. – hairy yellow pea (W.A.) * '' Gompholobium uncinatum'' A.Cunn. ex Benth. (Qld., N.S.W.) * '' Gompholobium venustum'' R.Br. – handsome wedge-pea (W.A.) * '' Gompholobium villosum'' (Meisn.) Crisp (W.A.) * ''

Gompholobium virgatum ''Gompholobium virgatum'', commonly known as leafy wedge pea, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a erect or sprawling shrub with trifoliate leaves, the leaflets narrow egg-shaped with ...

'' Sieber ex DC. – leafy wedge pea (N.S.W., Qld.) * '' Gompholobium viscidulum'' Meisn. * '' Gompholobium wonganense'' Chappill

Ecology

Toxicity of plants of the genus was suspected and proven to be fatal to sheep, goats and other

livestock Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to animals ...

introduced by the pastoralists at the

Swan River Colony The Swan River Colony, also known as the Swan River Settlement, or just Swan River, was a British colony established in 1829 on the Swan River, in Western Australia. This initial settlement place on the Swan River was soon named Perth, and it ...

. This was reported by James Drummond in Hooker's ''London journal of botany'' 1842.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2704036 Fabales of Australia Fabaceae genera