''Kennedia'' is a genus of thirteen species of flowering 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 ...

. Plants in this genus are prostrate or climbing

perennials A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also widel ...

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 and large, showy, pea-like flowers. There are species in all Australian states.

Description

Plants in the genus ''Kennedia'' are prostrate or climbing perennials that usually have softly-hairy foliage and a stem that is woody at the base. The leaves are arranged alternately along the stems and are usually trifoliate with

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 at the base of the petiole and small stipellae at the base of the leaflets. The flowers are arranged in leaf axils, relatively large and showy, red, blue, violet or almost black with stipule-like

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 at the base but that sometimes fall of as the flowers open. 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 to form a bell-shaped tube with five teeth about the same length as the tube, the upper two partly fused. 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 more or less round, 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 ...

are sickle-shaped 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 ...

curves inwards. Nine of the lower

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 are fused into an open sheath and the

style Style is a manner of doing or presenting things and may refer to: * Architectural style, the features that make a building or structure historically identifiable * Design, the process of creating something * Fashion, a prevailing mode of clothing ...

is thread-like. The fruit is a flattened or cylindrical pod.

Taxonomy

The genus ''Kennedia'' was first formally described in 1805 by

Étienne Pierre Ventenat Étienne Pierre Ventenat (1 March 1757 – 13 August 1808) was a French botanist born in Limoges. He was the brother of naturalist Louis Ventenat (1765–1794). While employed as director of the ecclesiastic library Sainte-Geneviève in Paris, V ...

in his book, ''Jardin de la Malmaison''. The name ''Kennedia'' honours John Kennedy, a partner in the firm of nurserymen,

Lee and Kennedy Lee and Kennedy were two families of prominent Scottish nurserymen in partnership for three generations at the Vineyard Nursery in Hammersmith, west of London. Contains biographical entries concerning the Lees and Kennedys. "For many years," wrote ...

Hammersmith, London Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. It ...

Species list

The following is a list of ''Kennedia'' 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 of October 2021: *'' Kennedia beckxiana''

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 ...

– Cape Arid kennedia (W.A.) *'' Kennedia carinata'' (

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 ...

)

Van Houtte Van Houtte Inc. is a company based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada that processes, distributes and sells coffee and coffee related goods. They have expanded their product selection, which now includes tropical teas, sandwiches and salads. It was founde ...

(W.A.) *''

Kennedia coccinea ''Kennedia coccinea'', commonly known as coral vine, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a twining, climbing or prostrate shrub with trifoliate leaves and orange-pin ...

'' (

Curtis Curtis or Curtiss is a common English given name and surname of Anglo-Norman origin from the Old French ''curteis'' (Modern French ''courtois'') which derived from the Spanish Cortés (of which Cortez is a variation) and the Portuguese and Gali ...

) Vent. – coral vine (W.A.) **''Kennedia coccinea'' subsp. ''calcaria'' Lally **''Kennedia coccinea'' (Curtis) Vent. subsp. ''coccinea'' **''Kennedia coccinea'' subsp. ''esotera'' Lally *'' Kennedia glabrata''

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 ...

– Northcliffe kennedia (W.A.) *'' Kennedia lateritia'' F.Muell. (W.A., possibly naturalised in Vic.) *'' Kennedia microphylla''

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.) *''

Kennedia nigricans ''Kennedia nigricans'', commonly known as black kennedia, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a trailing or twining shrub or climber with trifoliate leaves and black ...

'' Lindl. – black coral pea (W.A., possibly naturalised in S.A. and Tas.) *'' Kennedia procurrens'' Benth. – purple running pea (Qld., N.S.W.) *'' Kennedia prorepens'' (F.Muell.) F.Muell. (W.A., N.T., S.A., Qld.) *'' Kennedia prostrata'' R.Br. – running postman (W.A., S.A., N.S.W., Vic., Tas.) *'' Kennedia retrorsa''

Hemsl. William Botting Hemsley (29 December 1843, in East Hoathly – 7 October 1924, in Kent) was an English botanist and 1909 Victoria Medal (horticulture), Victoria Medal of Honour recipient. He was born in East Hoathly, Sussex and in 1860 started wo ...

(N.S.W.) *''

Kennedia rubicunda ''Kennedia rubicunda'', commonly known as the dusky coral pea, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to eastern continental Australia. It is a twining or prostrate herb with Glossary of leaf morphology#trifoliate, ...

'' ( Schneev.) Vent. – dusky coral pea (Qld., N.S.W., Vic.) *'' Kennedia stirlingii'' R.Br. – bushy kennedia (W.A.)

Use in horticulture

Kennedias are frost-tolerant with a preference for light, well-drained soil in full sun. Once established they will spread into shaded areas. Western Australian species are heat-tolerant and make good covers for sheds, fences and walls with support. Many kennedias are vigorous climbers; ''K. rubicunda'' (commonly used in revegetation projects around Sydney, where it is indigenous) and ''K. nigricans'' can cover up to five metres of wall from tube in nine months. The most popular species in cultivation, ''K. prostrata'', is a much less vigorous

groundcover Groundcover or ground cover is any plant that grows over an area of ground. Groundcover provides protection of the topsoil from erosion and drought. In an ecosystem, the ground cover forms the layer of vegetation below the shrub layer known as t ...

plant. They are propagated from seed during spring; in the warmer summer months they are easily propagated from cuttings. This robust genus can be heavily cut back after flowering to prevent invasive growth.

Description

Taxonomy

Species list

Use in horticulture

References

Further reading