| Swainsona behriana | |
|---|---|
 | |
| InTerrick Terrick National Park, Victoria | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Faboideae |
| Genus: | Swainsona |
| Species: | S. behriana |
| Binomial name | |
| Swainsona behriana | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
Swainsona behriana, commonly known asBehr's swainsona,[2] is a species of flowering plant in the familyFabaceae and isendemic to south-eastern continental Australia. It is a prostrate or low-growingperennialherb withimparipinnate leaves usually with 9 to 13 narrowly elliptic to egg-shaped leaflets with the narrower end towards the base, andracemes of 2 to 7 purple flowers.
Swainsona behriana is a prostrate or low-lying perennial herb, that typically grows to a height of up to 15 cm (5.9 in) with many slender stems arising from its base. Its leaves are imparipinnate, 30–50 mm (1.2–2.0 in) long withstipules 2–5 mm (0.079–0.197 in) long at the base. There are 9 to 13 narrowly elliptic to egg-shaped leaflets with the narrower end towards the base, mostly 5–10 mm (0.20–0.39 in) and 1–3 mm (0.039–0.118 in) wide. The flowers are arranged in racemes 50–150 mm (2.0–5.9 in) long of 2 to 7 on apeduncle up to 1.5 mm (0.059 in) in diameter, each flower 7–10 mm (0.28–0.39 in) long. Thesepals are softly-hairy and joined at the base, forming a tube 2.0–2.5 mm (0.079–0.098 in) long, the sepal lobes about the same length as the tube. The petals are purple, thestandard petal 7–8 mm (0.28–0.31 in) long and 9–12 mm (0.35–0.47 in) wide, thewings 7–8 mm (0.28–0.31 in) long, and thekeel mostly 7–9 mm (0.28–0.35 in) long. Flowering occurs from August to January, and the fruit is an oblongpod 10–18 mm (0.39–0.71 in) long and 3–7 mm (0.12–0.28 in) wide with the remains of thestyle 3–4 mm (0.12–0.16 in) long.[2][3][4]
Swainsona behriana was first formally described in 1927 byJohn McConnell Black inTransactions and proceedings of the Royal Society of South Australia, from an unpublished description byFerdinand von Mueller.[5][6] According to Black, thespecific epithet (behriana) "was doubtless named afterDr. Behr, a physician and botanist then practising atGawler".[6]
Behr's swainsona grows in grassland, grassy woodland and forest clearings and occurs on the slopes and tablelands of New South Wales, in scattered locations mostly in the lowlands west ofMelbourne in Victoria, but also in montane areas further east, and in southern districts of South Australia.[2][3][4]
Swainsona behriana is listed as "endangered" under the Victorian GovernmentFlora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988.[4]