''Swainsona'' is a large genus of
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...
s native to
Australasia
Australasia is a region that comprises Australia, New Zealand and some neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term is used in a number of different contexts, including geopolitically, physiogeographically, philologically, and ecologica ...
. There are 85 species, all but one of which are endemic to Australia.
A member of the family
(
legumes
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 fo ...
), it is most closely related to the New Zealand genera ''
Montigena
''Montigena'' is a genus of flowering plant in the legume family (biology), family Fabaceae, comprising a single species of dicotyledonous herb native plant, native to New Zealand, known as ''Montigena novae-zelandiae'' or more commonly the scre ...
'' (scree pea), ''
Clianthus
''Clianthus'', commonly known as kakabeak (''kōwhai ngutukākā'' in Māori), is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family Fabaceae, comprising two species of shrubs native to New Zealand. They have striking clusters of red flowers whi ...
'' (kakabeak), and ''Carmichaelia'' (
New Zealand broom).
''Swainsona'' is named after English botanist
Isaac Swainson
Isaac Swainson (1746–1812) was famous for his botanical garden, which was largely funded from the profits of a herbal remedy for venereal disease. For his commercial activities in the latter field, he has been called a "radical quack".McCalman, ...
.
A few species are known to produce
swainsonine
Swainsonine is an indolizidine alkaloid. It is a potent inhibitor of Golgi alpha-mannosidase II, an immunomodulator, and a potential chemotherapy drug. As a toxin in locoweed (likely its primary toxin) it also is a significant cause of economi ...
, a
phytotoxin
Phytotoxins are substances that are poisonous or toxic to the growth of plants. Phytotoxic substances may result from human activity, as with herbicides, or they may be produced by plants, by microorganisms, or by naturally occurring chemical react ...
harmful to
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 ...
(see
Locoweed
Locoweed (also crazyweed and loco) is a common name in North America for any plant that produces swainsonine, a phytotoxin harmful to livestock. Worldwide, swainsonine is produced by a small number of species, most of them in three genera of the ...
). In Australia, animals
intoxicated with swainsonine are said to be
pea struck.
;Selected species
*''
Swainsona acuticarinata'' (
A.T.Lee) Joy Thomps.
*''
Swainsona adenophylla'' J.M.Black
*''
Swainsona affinis
''Swainsona'' is a large genus of flowering plants native to Australasia. There are 85 species, all but one of which are endemic to Australia.
A member of the family Fabaceae (legumes), it is most closely related to the New Zealand genera ''Mont ...
'' (
A.T.Lee) Joy Thomps.
*''
Swainsona beasleyana'' F.Muell.
*''
Swainsona behriana'' F.Muell. ex J.M.Black
*''
Swainsona brachycarpa'' Benth.
*''
Swainsona bracteata'' (Maiden & Betche) Joy Thomps.
*''
Swainsona burkei'' F.Muell. ex Benth.
*''
Swainsona burkittii'' F.Muell. ex Benth.
*''
Swainsona cadellii'' F.Muell. ex C.Moore & Betche
*''
Swainsona calcicola'' Joy Thomps.
*''
Swainsona campestris'' J.M.Black
*''
Swainsona campylantha
''Swainsona'' is a large genus of flowering plants native to Australasia. There are 85 species, all but one of which are endemic to Australia.
A member of the family Fabaceae (legumes), it is most closely related to the New Zealand genera ''Mont ...
'' F.Muell.
*''
Swainsona canescens'' (Benth.) F.Muell.
*''
Swainsona colutoides'' F.Muell.
*''
Swainsona complanata'' Joy Thomps.
*''
Swainsona concinna
''Swainsona'' is a large genus of flowering plants native to Australasia. There are 85 species, all but one of which are endemic to Australia.
A member of the family Fabaceae ( legumes), it is most closely related to the New Zealand genera '' M ...
'' F.M.Bailey
*''
Swainsona cornuta'' Joy Thomps.
*''
Swainsona coronillifolia'' Salisb.
*''
Swainsona cyclocarpa'' F.Muell.
*''
Swainsona decurrens''
A.T.Lee
*''
Swainsona dictyocarpa
''Swainsona'' is a large genus of flowering plants native to Australasia. There are 85 species, all but one of which are endemic to Australia.
A member of the family Fabaceae (legumes), it is most closely related to the New Zealand genera ''Mont ...
'' J.M.Black
*''
Swainsona disjuncta'' Joy Thomps.
*''
Swainsona ecallosa'' Sprague
*''
Swainsona elegans''
A.T.Lee
*''
Swainsona elegantoides'' (
A.T.Lee) Joy Thomps.
*''
Swainsona eremaea'' Joy Thomps.
*''
Swainsona extrajacens
''Swainsona'' is a large genus of flowering plants native to Australasia. There are 85 species, all but one of which are endemic to Australia.
A member of the family Fabaceae ( legumes), it is most closely related to the New Zealand genera '' M ...
'' Joy Thomps.
*''
Swainsona fissimontana'' J.M.Black
*''
Swainsona flavicarinata'' J.M.Black
*''
Swainsona formosa
''Swainsona formosa'', Sturt's desert pea, is an Australian plant in the genus '' Swainsona'', named after English botanist Isaac Swainson, famous for its distinctive blood-red leaf-like flowers, each with a bulbous black centre, or "boss". It ...
'' (G. Don) Joy Thomps. – Sturt's Desert Pea
*''
Swainsona forrestii'' F.Muell. ex
A.T.Lee
*''
Swainsona fragilis'' F.M.Bailey
*''
Swainsona fraseri'' Benth.
*''
Swainsona fuscoviridis'' Joy Thomps.
*''
Swainsona galegifolia
''Swainsona galegifolia'' commonly known as smooth Darling pea, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to Australia. It is a small shrub with greyish-green leaves and flowers in white, red, pink, purple, yellow or ...
'' (Andrews) R.Br.
*''
Swainsona gracilis'' Benth.
*''
Swainsona greyana'' Lindl.
*''
Swainsona halophila'' Joy Thomps.
*''
Swainsona incei
''Swainsona'' is a large genus of flowering plants native to Australasia. There are 85 species, all but one of which are endemic to Australia.
A member of the family Fabaceae ( legumes), it is most closely related to the New Zealand genera '' M ...
'' W.R.Price
*''
Swainsona kingii'' F.Muell.
*''
Swainsona lessertiifolia
''Swainsona lessertiifolia'', commonly known as the coast Swainson-pea, is a sprawling, largely coastal, perennial herb in the pea family that is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It grows to about 50 cm in height, has divided leaves and ...
'' DC.
*''
Swainsona monticola'' A.Cunn. ex Benth.
*''
Swainsona procumbens
''Swainsona procumbens'' (common names - Broughton pea, swamp pea) is a plant in the pea family (Fabaceae) native to Australia and found in New South Wales, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Queensland and South Australia.
Description
''Swainso ...
'' (F.Muell.) F.Muell.
*''
Swainsona sejuncta
''Swainsona sejuncta'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae. It has pea-shaped flowers in a variety of colours, pink, cream, orange and mauve from spring to summer and is endemic to Queensland.
Description
''Swainsona sejunct ...
'' Joy Thomps.
*''
Swainsona stenodonta
''Swainsona stenodonta'' is a plant species in the family Fabaceae, native to the north-west of Western Australia. It was first described in 1879 by Ferdinand von Mueller.
It is an annual herb, growing from 30 cm to 1 m high on stony wa ...
''
References
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2494626
Flora of Australasia
Fabaceae genera