''Hovea'' is a genus of about forty species of flowering plants in the family
Fabaceae, 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 else ...
to Australia. Plants in this genus are sub-shrubs, shrubs or small trees with simple leaves and purple, blue or mauve flowers with a white centre. The fruit is a
pod containing brown to blackish seeds. Species of ''Hovea'' occur in all Australian states, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory.
Description
Plants in the genus ''Hovea'' are sub-shrubs, shrubs or sometimes small trees. The leaves are arranged alternately and are
simple
Simple or SIMPLE may refer to:
*Simplicity, the state or quality of being simple
Arts and entertainment
* ''Simple'' (album), by Andy Yorke, 2008, and its title track
* "Simple" (Florida Georgia Line song), 2018
* "Simple", a song by Johnn ...
, usually 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 and sometimes with prickly edges. The flowers are arranged in leaf axils with
bracts, and two
bracteoles
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 o ...
at the base of 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 coine ...
s. The upper two sepal lobes are usually joined to form a broad "lip". The petals are purple, blue or mauve, rarely white, and the
standard petal is circular to
oblate, longer than 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 expre ...
and
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 ...
. The ten
stamens are joined into a sheath open on the upper side, and differ in length. There are usually only two
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 ...
s in the
ovary and the fruit is a spherical to oval pod. The seeds are usually long and brown to black with an
aril.
Taxonomy
The genus ''Hovea'' was first formally described in 1812 by
Robert Brown in
Aiton's ''
Hortus Kewensis
''Hortus Kewensis, or a Catalogue of the Plants Cultivated in the Royal Botanic Garden at Kew'' by William Aiton was a 1789 catalogue of all the plant species then in cultivation at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is ...
'', and the first species he described were ''
H. linearis'' and ''
H. longifolia''
The genus name honours the Polish botanist and plant collector,
Anton Pantaleon Hove.
Distribution
Species of ''Hovea'' occur in all states and mainland territories of Australia.
Species list
The following is a list of species of ''Hovea'' 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 June 2021:
* ''
Hovea acanthoclada''
(Turcz.) F.Muell. — thorny hovea (W.A.)
* ''
Hovea acutifolia''
A. Cunn. ex G. Don — northern hovea (Qld., N.S.W.)
* ''
Hovea angustissima''
I. Thomps. (Qld.)
* ''
Hovea apiculata''
A. Cunn. ex G.Don (Qld., N.S.W.)
* ''
Hovea arnhemica''
J.H. Ross (N.T.)
* ''
Hovea asperifolia''
I. Thomps. (N.S.W., A.C.T., Vic.)
* ''
Hovea chorizemifolia
''Hovea chorizemifolia'', commonly known as the holly-leaved hovea, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a small, upright shrub with prickly, green leaves and blue ...
''
DC. — holly-leaved hovea (W.A.)
* ''
Hovea clavata''
I. Thomps. (Qld.)
* ''
Hovea corrickiae''
J.H. Ross (Vic., Tas.)
* ''
Hovea cymbiformis''
I. Thomps. (N.S.W.)
* ''
Hovea densivellosa''
I. Thomps. (Qld.)
* ''
Hovea elliptica''
(Sm.) DC. — tree hovea (W.A.)
* ''
Hovea graniticola''
I. Thomps. (N.S.W., Qld.)
* ''
Hovea heterophylla''
A. Cunn. ex Hook. f. (Qld., N.S.W., A.C.T., Vic., Tas.)
* ''
Hovea impressinerva''
I. Thomps. (Qld., N.S.W.)
* ''
Hovea lanceolata''
Sims (Qld., N.S.W.)
* ''
Hovea linearis''
(Sm.) R. Br. — common hovea (S.A., Qld., N.S.W.)
* ''
Hovea longifolia''
R.Br. — rusty pods, long-leaf hovea (N.S.W.)
* ''
Hovea longipes''
Benth. (Qld., N.S.W.)
* ''
Hovea lorata''
I. Thomps. (Qld., N.S.W.)
* ''
Hovea magnibractea''
I. Thomps. (Vic., Tas.)
* ''
Hovea montana''
(Hook. f.) J.H. Ross — mountain hovea, alpine rusty-pods, alpine hovea (N.S.W., A.C.T., Vic., Tas.)
* ''
Hovea nana''
I. Thomps. & J.H. Ross (Qld.)
* ''
Hovea nitida''
I. Thomps. (Qld.)
* ''
Hovea pannosa''
A. Cunn. ex Hook. f. (N.S.W., Vic.)
* ''
Hovea parvicalyx''
I. Thomps. (Qld.)
* ''
Hovea pedunculata''
I. Thomps. & J.H. Ross (Qld., N.S.W.)
* ''
Hovea planifolia''
(Domin) J.H. Ross (Qld.)
* ''
Hovea pungens''
Benth. — devil's pins (W.A.)
* ''
Hovea purpurea''
Sweet (S.A., N.S.W., Vic.)
* ''
Hovea ramulosa''
A. Cunn. ex Lindl. (Qld., N.S.W.)
* ''
Hovea rosmarinifolia''
A. Cunn. — mountain beauty (N.S.W., Vic.)
* ''
Hovea similis''
I. Thomps. (Qld., N.S.W.)
* ''
Hovea speciosa''
I. Thomps. (N.S.W.)
* ''
Hovea stricta''
Meissner (W.A.)
* ''
Hovea tasmanica''
I. Thomps. & J.H. Ross (Tas.)
* ''
Hovea tholiformis''
I. Thomps. (Qld.)
* ''
Hovea trisperma''
Benth. — common hovea (W.A.)
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2714213
Fabaceae genera
Fabales of Australia
Taxa named by Robert Brown (botanist, born 1773)