''Gompholobium aspalathoides'' 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 eastern Australia. It is an erect, more or less
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 ...
shrub with
trifoliate
The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regular o ...
leaves with linear to narrow elliptic leaflets, and yellow pea-like flowers.
Description
''Gompholobium aspalathoides'' is an erect, more or less glabrous shrub that typically grows up to high and wide. The leaves are trifoliate, the leaflets linear to narrow elliptic, long and wide with the edges rolled under and the tip truncated. The flowers are arranged singly or in groups of up to five 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
...
long. The sepals are long and the petals are yellow, long. Flowering occurs from May to January and the fruit is an oblique oblong
pod about long.
Taxonomy
''Gompholobium aspalathoides'' was first formally described in 1837 by
George Bentham
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 studi ...
from an unpublished description by
Allan Cunningham. Bentham's description was published in ''Commentationes de Leguminosarum Generibus''.
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 ...
(''aspalathoides'') means "''
Aspalathus
''Aspalathus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. The yellow flowers and spiny habit of some species have suggested a resemblance to ''Ulex europaeus'', the thorny " English gorse" Accordingly, "Cape Gorse" has been proposed ...
''-like".
Distribution and habitat
This species of pea grows in heath, woodland and forest and is widespread in inland areas from near
Bundaberg
Bundaberg is a city in the Bundaberg Region, Queensland, Australia, and is the tenth largest city in the state. Bundaberg's regional area has a population of 70,921, and is a major centre of the Wide Bay–Burnett geographical region. The Bun ...
in Queensland to near
Moruya
Moruya is a town located on the far south coast of New South Wales, Australia, situated on the Moruya River. The Princes Highway runs through the town that is about south of Sydney and from Canberra. At the , Moruya had a population of 4 ...
in New South Wales.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q39147474
aspalathoides
Flora of New South Wales
Flora of Queensland
Plants described in 1837
Taxa named by George Bentham