Blunt-leaf bitter-pea

Appearance

''Daviesia mimosoides'' is an open shrub that typically grows to a height of up to 2 m , rarely tree-like to 5 m , and has many glabrous branches. The phyllodes are mostly narrowly elliptic, sometimes linear or egg-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, 15–200 mm long and 4–30 mm wide. The flowers are usually arranged in one or two racemes of five to ten flowers in leaf axils, on a peduncle 1–5 mm long, the rachis 4–12 mm long with narrowly oblong bracts at the base. The sepals are 2.5–5 mm long and joined at the base, the upper two lobes joined for most of their length and the lower three triangular and 0.3–0.6 mm long. The standard petal is broadly elliptic to egg-shaped, orange-yellow with dark brownish-red or maroon markings and a yellow centre and 6–7.5 mm long. The wings are 5.0–6.75 mm long and dark brownish-red or maroon with yellow tips, and the keel is 4.0–4.5 mm long and maroon. Flowering mainly occurs in September and October and the fruit is a flattened, triangular pod 6–10 mm long.

Distribution

Blunt-leaf bitter-pea grows in the understorey of open forest from south-east Queensland, through eastern New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, to eastern Victoria, at altitudes from sea level to 1,500 m . Subspecies ''acris'' is restricted to exposed rocky peaks from the Brindabella Range in the Australian Capital Territory, through southern New South Wales to eastern Victoria, at altitudes above 1,200 m .

Habitat

Blunt-leaf bitter-pea grows in the understorey of open forest from south-east Queensland, through eastern New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, to eastern Victoria, at altitudes from sea level to 1,500 m . Subspecies ''acris'' is restricted to exposed rocky peaks from the Brindabella Range in the Australian Capital Territory, through southern New South Wales to eastern Victoria, at altitudes above 1,200 m .