''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 ecologi ...
. 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 ''
Montigena'' (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.
A few species are known to produce
swainsonine, 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 animal ...
(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 f ...
). 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'' (
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'' F.Muell.
*''
Swainsona canescens'' (Benth.) F.Muell.
*''
Swainsona colutoides'' F.Muell.
*''
Swainsona complanata'' Joy Thomps.
*''
Swainsona concinna'' F.M.Bailey
*''
Swainsona cornuta'' Joy Thomps.
*''
Swainsona coronillifolia'' Salisb.
*''
Swainsona cyclocarpa'' F.Muell.
*''
Swainsona decurrens''
A.T.Lee
*''
Swainsona dictyocarpa'' 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'' Joy Thomps.
*''
Swainsona fissimontana'' J.M.Black
*''
Swainsona flavicarinata'' J.M.Black
*''
Swainsona formosa'' (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'' W.R.Price
*''
Swainsona kingii'' F.Muell.
*''
Swainsona lessertiifolia'' DC.
*''
Swainsona monticola'' A.Cunn. ex Benth.
*''
Swainsona procumbens'' (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''
References
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2494626
Flora of Australasia
Fabaceae genera