Pultenaea
Encyclopedia
Pultenaea is a genus
of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae
-Faboideae
that are native to Australia.Pultenaea is commonly known as “egg and bacon”, “golden” or “bush peas”.
The genus is found in south west Western Australia
and the eastern states. It is not considered to be monophyletic
with suggestions of splitting it into six separate subgenera, under a larger genus of Pultenaea sensu lato, essentially the Mirbeliea group.
The genus underwent explosive starburst radiation
, with biogeographical divisions due to the Nullarbor Plain
and the Winter/Summer rainfall boundary. Some species rely on fire regime
s for germination, and are an understorey dominant and nitrogen fixer
.
in 1794 in A Specimen of the Botany of New Holland
, with Pultunaea stipularis nominated as the type species
. The latter was described from a living specimen which was raised in Stockwell
, England from seed obtained from New South Wales
in 1792.
Smith named the genus in honour of Richard Pulteney
, an English surgeon and botanist, who also was the biographer of Linnaeus.
, sister to tribe Bossiaeeae
; family Fabaceae
-Faboideae
Pultenaea possibly not monophyletic, and is poorly resolved.
Pultenaea sensu lato: 19 genera in Mirbeleae, 430 species
However, DNA sequencing supports 7 clades within Pultenaea Sm.:
W. A.: P. quaerita; P. ericifolia/P. indira; P. skinner/P. reticulata; and a monotypic P. brachytropis
Eastern Australia: subgenera Chaodes, Pultenaea, and Corrickosa
and its sister tribe Bossiaeeae
has had long isolation in Australia from other Fabaceae
families.
Pultenaea Sm. underwent explosive starburst radiation during the late Miocene
, due to aridity.
Geographic speciation
factors include east vs. west endemism due to increased aridity and the development of the Nullarbor Plain
; subgenera Pultenaea and Corrickosa of eastern Australia split along the Winter–Summer rainfall boundary; subclades within Corrickosa diverged due to marine incursions between South Australia
and Victoria
.
Western Australian species include disjunctions between north and south, and Esperance
/Cape Arid
.
Recent extinctions, possibly due to changed fire regimes and grazing pressure, include P. elusa and P. maidenii.
Pultenaea Sm. are restricted to south west Western Australia and temperate and tropical regions of the eastern states of Australia
Pultenaea species are found in sclerophyll
ous vegetation types varying from forests to heath lands, but absent from arid interior and rainforest regions. Its distribution indicates that the genus is limited by water (arid regions) and sunlight/competition (tropical regions). Eastern Australia contains 87 species,while Western Australia contains 27 species.
Four species are found in both regions.
A periodic fire regime of at least ten years is needed to allow for maturity.
Pultenaea species can be locally abundant, and are abundant along roadsides, possibly due to increased light or disturbance.
Threats include clearance and fragmentation of habitat, inappropriate fire regimes, weed invasion, and grazing, which may have led to extinctions of P. elusa and P. maidenii
A number of species are cultivated for their spring flower display. Most of these are fast-growing and adaptable to diverse growing conditions. Propagation
is from semi-mature cuttings or seed pre-treated by soaking in hot water.
Three cultivar
s are registered with the Australian Cultivar Registration Authority
as follows:
Bickford, S. A., Laffan, S. W., de Kok, R. P. J. and Orthia, L. A., 2004, ‘Spatial analysis of taxonomic and genetic patterns and their potential for understanding evolutionary histories’, Journal of Biogeography, vol. 31, pp. 1715–1733.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of flowering plants in the 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...
-Faboideae
Faboideae
Faboideae is a subfamily of the flowering plant family Fabaceae or Leguminosae. One acceptable alternative name for the subfamily is Papilionoideae....
that are native to Australia.Pultenaea is commonly known as “egg and bacon”, “golden” or “bush peas”.
The genus is found in south west Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
and the eastern states. It is not considered to be monophyletic
Monophyly
In common cladistic usage, a monophyletic group is a taxon which forms a clade, meaning that it contains all the descendants of the possibly hypothetical closest common ancestor of the members of the group. The term is synonymous with the uncommon term holophyly...
with suggestions of splitting it into six separate subgenera, under a larger genus of Pultenaea sensu lato, essentially the Mirbeliea group.
The genus underwent explosive starburst radiation
Evolutionary radiation
An evolutionary radiation is an increase in taxonomic diversity or morphological disparity, due to adaptive change or the opening of ecospace. Radiations may affect one clade or many, and be rapid or gradual; where they are rapid, and driven by a single lineage's adaptation to their environment,...
, with biogeographical divisions due to the Nullarbor Plain
Nullarbor Plain
The Nullarbor Plain is part of the area of flat, almost treeless, arid or semi-arid country of southern Australia, located on the Great Australian Bight coast with the Great Victoria Desert to its north. It is the world's largest single piece of limestone, and occupies an area of about...
and the Winter/Summer rainfall boundary. Some species rely on fire regime
Fire regime
A fire regime is the pattern, frequency and intensity of the bushfires and wildfires that prevails in an area. It is an integral part of fire ecology, and renewal for certain types of ecosystems. If fires are too frequent, plants may be killed before they have matured, or before they have set...
s for germination, and are an understorey dominant and nitrogen fixer
Nitrogen fixation
Nitrogen fixation is the natural process, either biological or abiotic, by which nitrogen in the atmosphere is converted into ammonia . This process is essential for life because fixed nitrogen is required to biosynthesize the basic building blocks of life, e.g., nucleotides for DNA and RNA and...
.
Taxonomy
The genus was first formally described by botanist James Edward SmithJames Edward Smith
Sir James Edward Smith was an English botanist and founder of the Linnean Society.Smith was born in Norwich in 1759, the son of a wealthy wool merchant. He displayed a precocious interest in the natural world...
in 1794 in A Specimen of the Botany of New Holland
A specimen of the botany of New Holland
A Specimen of the Botany of New Holland, also known by its standard abbreviation Spec. Bot. New Holland, was the first published book on the flora of Australia. Written by James Edward Smith and illustrated by James Sowerby, it was published by Sowerby in four parts between 1793 and 1795...
, with Pultunaea stipularis nominated as the type species
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
. The latter was described from a living specimen which was raised in Stockwell
Stockwell
Stockwell is a district in inner south west London, England, located in the London Borough of Lambeth.It is situated south south-east of Charing Cross. Brixton, Clapham, Vauxhall and Kennington all border Stockwell...
, England from seed obtained from New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
in 1792.
Smith named the genus in honour of Richard Pulteney
Richard Pulteney
Richard Pulteney was an English physician and botanist. He was a promoter of Linnaean taxonomy, and authored the first English language biography of Carl Linnaeus, entitled A General View of the Writings of Linnaeus. He was educated at Loughborough Grammar School, and a school house was named...
, an English surgeon and botanist, who also was the biographer of Linnaeus.
Phylogeny
Pultenaea belongs to the tribe MirbelieaeMirbelieae
Mirbelieae, commonly known as the bush, golden or egg-and-bacon peas are a legume tribe endemic to Australia. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that Mirbelieae is paraphyletic with respect to Bossiaeeae....
, sister to tribe Bossiaeeae
Bossiaeeae
Bossiaeeae are plants with red and yellow flowers endemic to Australia. These pea-flowered shrubs, also called "The Egg-and-Bacon Peas of Australia," make up a tribe of legumes related to the mirbelieae. In fact, phylogenetic analysis suggests that the tribe Bossiaeeae is monophyletic with the...
; 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...
-Faboideae
Faboideae
Faboideae is a subfamily of the flowering plant family Fabaceae or Leguminosae. One acceptable alternative name for the subfamily is Papilionoideae....
Pultenaea possibly not monophyletic, and is poorly resolved.
Pultenaea sensu lato: 19 genera in Mirbeleae, 430 species
However, DNA sequencing supports 7 clades within Pultenaea Sm.:
W. A.: P. quaerita; P. ericifolia/P. indira; P. skinner/P. reticulata; and a monotypic P. brachytropis
Eastern Australia: subgenera Chaodes, Pultenaea, and Corrickosa
Speciation
The tribe MirbelieaeMirbelieae
Mirbelieae, commonly known as the bush, golden or egg-and-bacon peas are a legume tribe endemic to Australia. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that Mirbelieae is paraphyletic with respect to Bossiaeeae....
and its sister tribe Bossiaeeae
Bossiaeeae
Bossiaeeae are plants with red and yellow flowers endemic to Australia. These pea-flowered shrubs, also called "The Egg-and-Bacon Peas of Australia," make up a tribe of legumes related to the mirbelieae. In fact, phylogenetic analysis suggests that the tribe Bossiaeeae is monophyletic with the...
has had long isolation in Australia from other 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...
families.
Pultenaea Sm. underwent explosive starburst radiation during the late Miocene
Miocene
The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about . The Miocene was named by Sir Charles Lyell. Its name comes from the Greek words and and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the Pliocene. The Miocene follows the Oligocene...
, due to aridity.
Geographic speciation
Speciation
Speciation is the evolutionary process by which new biological species arise. The biologist Orator F. Cook seems to have been the first to coin the term 'speciation' for the splitting of lineages or 'cladogenesis,' as opposed to 'anagenesis' or 'phyletic evolution' occurring within lineages...
factors include east vs. west endemism due to increased aridity and the development of the Nullarbor Plain
Nullarbor Plain
The Nullarbor Plain is part of the area of flat, almost treeless, arid or semi-arid country of southern Australia, located on the Great Australian Bight coast with the Great Victoria Desert to its north. It is the world's largest single piece of limestone, and occupies an area of about...
; subgenera Pultenaea and Corrickosa of eastern Australia split along the Winter–Summer rainfall boundary; subclades within Corrickosa diverged due to marine incursions between South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
and Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
.
Western Australian species include disjunctions between north and south, and Esperance
Esperance, Western Australia
Esperance is a large town in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, located on the Southern Ocean coastline approximately east-southeast of the state capital, Perth. The shire of Esperance is home to 9,536 people as of the 2006 census, its major industries are tourism, agriculture,...
/Cape Arid
Cape Arid National Park
Cape Arid National Park is a national park in Western Australia , south east of Perth. The park is situated east of Esperance and lies on shore from the eastern end of the Recherche Archipelago...
.
Recent extinctions, possibly due to changed fire regimes and grazing pressure, include P. elusa and P. maidenii.
Species
Species include:- Pultenaea daphnoidesPultenaea daphnoidesPultenaea daphnoides is a shrub which is endemic to Australia. It is a member of the genus Pultenaea and the family Fabaceae.The species is an erect shrub that can grow to between 1 and 3 metres high...
Wendl. - Large-leaf Bush-pea - Pultenaea flexilisPultenaea flexilisPultenaea flexilis known as the Graceful Bush-pea is an erect shrub found in eastern Australia. Growing to 4 metres in height, it is found north of Deua National Park, New South Wales to the state of Queensland. The habitat is the drier eucalyptus woodlands on acidic, well drained soils...
Sm. - Graceful Bush-pea - Pultenaea gunniiPultenaea gunniiPultenaea gunnii, commonly known as Golden Bush-pea, is a shrub which is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is a member of the genus Pultenaea and the family Fabaceae. The species occurs in Tasmania, Victoria and New South Wales....
Benth. - Golden Bush-pea - Pultenaea juniperinaPultenaea juniperinaPultenaea juniperina, or Prickly Bush-pea, is a plant of the family Fabaceae native to Eastern Australia. It is a shrub to 3 metres sporting showy yellow-orange flowers with red markings. The leaves are 10 - 25 mm long and 1 - 4 mm wide with a pungent leaf apex , hence the use of "Prickly" in the...
Labill. - Prickly Bush-pea - Pultenaea muelleriPultenaea muelleriPultenaea muelleri is a shrub which is endemic to Victoria, Australia. The species is a member of the family Fabaceae and of the genus Pultenaea. It is a dense shrub that can grow to between 1 and 3 metres in height. The leaves are 10 to 20 mm long, 1 to 2 mm wide and have parallel veins and soft...
Benth.George BenthamGeorge Bentham CMG FRS was an English botanist, characterized by Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century".- Formative years :...
- Mueller's Bush-pea - Pultenaea pauciflora M.B. Scott - Narrogin Pea
- Pultenaea pedunculata Hook.William Jackson HookerSir William Jackson Hooker, FRS was an English systematic botanist and organiser. He held the post of Regius Professor of Botany at Glasgow University, and was the first Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. He enjoyed the friendship and support of Sir Joseph Banks for his exploring,...
- Matted Bush-pea - Pultenaea rosmarinifolia Lindl.John LindleyJohn Lindley FRS was an English botanist, gardener and orchidologist.-Early years:Born in Catton, near Norwich, England, John Lindley was one of four children of George and Mary Lindley. George Lindley was a nurseryman and pomologist and ran a commercial nursery garden...
- Rosemary-leaved Pultenaea or Rosemary Bush-pea - Pultenaea scabraPultenaea scabraPultenaea scabra is a shrub which is endemic to Australia . It is a member of the family Fabaceae and of the genus Pultenaea....
R.Br.Robert Brown (botanist)Robert Brown was a Scottish botanist and palaeobotanist who made important contributions to botany largely through his pioneering use of the microscope...
- Rough Bush-pea
Distribution and habitat
Pultenaea species are found in sclerophyll
Sclerophyll
Sclerophyll is the term for a type of vegetation that has hard leaves and short internodes . The word comes from the Greek sclero and phyllon ....
ous vegetation types varying from forests to heath lands, but absent from arid interior and rainforest regions. Its distribution indicates that the genus is limited by water (arid regions) and sunlight/competition (tropical regions). Eastern Australia contains 87 species,while Western Australia contains 27 species.
Four species are found in both regions.
Ecology
Pultenaea species are understorey dominants, play a role of nutrient cycling as nitrogen fixers, and are an important food source for invertebrates. Like many species of Fabaceae, hard-seeded Pultenaea species require fire for germination and recruitment e.g. P. williamsoniana.A periodic fire regime of at least ten years is needed to allow for maturity.
Pultenaea species can be locally abundant, and are abundant along roadsides, possibly due to increased light or disturbance.
Threats include clearance and fragmentation of habitat, inappropriate fire regimes, weed invasion, and grazing, which may have led to extinctions of P. elusa and P. maidenii
Cultivation
Plant propagation
Plant propagation is the process of creating new plants from a variety of sources: seeds, cuttings, bulbs and other plant parts. Plant propagation can also refer to the artificial or natural dispersal of plants.-Sexual propagation :...
is from semi-mature cuttings or seed pre-treated by soaking in hot water.
Three cultivar
Cultivar
A cultivar'Cultivar has two meanings as explained under Formal definition. When used in reference to a taxon, the word does not apply to an individual plant but to all those plants sharing the unique characteristics that define the cultivar. is a plant or group of plants selected for desirable...
s are registered with the Australian Cultivar Registration Authority
Australian Cultivar Registration Authority
The Australian Cultivar Registration Authority is the International Cultivar Registration Authority for Australian plant genera, excluding those genera or groups for which other ICRAs have been appointed...
as follows:
- P. pedunculata 'Pyalong Gold'
- P. pedunculata 'Pyalong Pink'
- P. villosa 'Wallum Gold'- a prostrate form
External links
- International Legume Database & Information Service
- Legumes of the World - Pultenaea
- FloraBase - the West Australian Flora - Pultenaea
- PlantNET - New South Wales Flora online: Pultenaea
Bickford, S. A., Laffan, S. W., de Kok, R. P. J. and Orthia, L. A., 2004, ‘Spatial analysis of taxonomic and genetic patterns and their potential for understanding evolutionary histories’, Journal of Biogeography, vol. 31, pp. 1715–1733.