Bossiaea scolopendria
Encyclopedia
Bossiaea scolopendria, known as the Plank Plant is a species
of flowering plant
in the pea family (Fabaceae
) found in eastern Australia
. An erect shrub up to a metre tall.
It occurs from the Gosford, New South Wales
region in the north to elevated areas west of Nowra in the south. Mostly found on sandy soils in heath or woodland. Fairly common on sandstone based soils near Sydney
An interesting feature is that leaves only fully form on juvenile growth or regrowth, which is mostly reduced to scales 1 to 2 mm long. Stems are up to 14 mm wide, hence the common name.
Yellow and red flowers, typical of many Australian Fabaceae
form between August and November. The fruit pods are oblong, 3 to 5 cm long, 7 to 9 mm wide on a stem 5 mm long. Inside are five to ten seeds.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of flowering plant
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
in the pea family (Fabaceae
Fabaceae
The Fabaceae or Leguminosae, commonly known as the legume, pea, or bean family, is a large and economically important family of flowering plants. The group is the third largest land plant family, behind only the Orchidaceae and Asteraceae, with 730 genera and over 19,400 species...
) found in eastern Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. An erect shrub up to a metre tall.
It occurs from the Gosford, New South Wales
Gosford, New South Wales
Gosford is a city located on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia, approximately 76 km north of the Sydney central business district...
region in the north to elevated areas west of Nowra in the south. Mostly found on sandy soils in heath or woodland. Fairly common on sandstone based soils near Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
An interesting feature is that leaves only fully form on juvenile growth or regrowth, which is mostly reduced to scales 1 to 2 mm long. Stems are up to 14 mm wide, hence the common name.
Yellow and red flowers, typical of many Australian Fabaceae
Fabaceae
The Fabaceae or Leguminosae, commonly known as the legume, pea, or bean family, is a large and economically important family of flowering plants. The group is the third largest land plant family, behind only the Orchidaceae and Asteraceae, with 730 genera and over 19,400 species...
form between August and November. The fruit pods are oblong, 3 to 5 cm long, 7 to 9 mm wide on a stem 5 mm long. Inside are five to ten seeds.