Swainsona procumbens facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Swainsona procumbens |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Swainsona
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| Species: |
procumbens
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| Synonyms | |
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Cyclogyne procumbens F.Muell. |
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Swainsona procumbens, also known as the Broughton pea or swamp pea, is a special plant. It belongs to the pea family, called Fabaceae. This plant grows naturally in Australia. You can find it in places like New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, and South Australia.
Contents
What Does the Broughton Pea Look Like?
The Broughton pea is a plant that can spread out or grow upwards. It is a perennial plant, meaning it lives for more than two years. Its stems are smooth or have only a few hairs. They can grow up to 50 centimeters (about 20 inches) tall.
Leaves and Flowers
The leaves are quite long, from 5 to 15 centimeters (2 to 6 inches). They are pinnate, which means they have many smaller leaflets arranged along a central stem, like a feather. Each leaf has about 15 to 25 leaflets. These small leaflets are 5 to 25 millimeters long and 1 to 5 millimeters wide. Their tips can be slightly notched or rounded. The surfaces of the leaflets might be smooth, or their undersides might have soft hairs.
At the base of each leaf, there are small leaf-like parts called stipules. These stipules are often toothed and are about 2 to 7 millimeters long.
The flowers grow in clusters called racemes. Each cluster can have 2 to 12 flowers. The flowers themselves are 10 to 20 millimeters long. They are mostly purple. A special part of the flower, called the keel, curls into a full circle. The tip of the style (a part of the flower's reproductive system) is bent inwards.
Fruit Pods
After the flowers, the plant produces narrow seed pods. These pods are 20 to 40 millimeters long (about 0.8 to 1.6 inches). Sometimes, these pods can be a bit hairy.
Where Does the Broughton Pea Grow?
This plant likes to grow in heavy soils. These soils are often wet, or waterlogged, for much of the time. This is why one of its common names is "swamp pea."
How Was This Plant Named?
The scientific naming of plants is called taxonomy. The Broughton pea was first described in 1853 by a scientist named Ferdinand von Mueller. He first gave it the name Cyclogyne procumbens. However, a few years later, in 1859, Mueller decided to move it to a different group of plants. He then placed it in the genus Swainsona, which is why its full scientific name today is Swainsona procumbens.
