Plants of South Eastern New South Wales
Hovea purpurea
Common name
Velvet hovea, Tall hovea
Family
Fabaceae
Where found
Forest, woodland, and dense shrubland, usually on rocky ridges and near streams. Widespread. No records from the Western Slopes.
Notes
Shrub to 3 m tall. Stems with dense brown to grey hairs. Leaves alternating up the stems, 1.2-7 cm long, 4-17 mm wide. Standard petal 11.5-17 mm long, 10-15 mm wide, flat on each side of a recessed midrib, margins curved down, tips rounded to somewhat pointed, mucro up to 1 mm long; upper surface green, almost glossy, hairless except for hairs along the midrib, lower surface completely obscured by cream to tan curled hairs, midrib hairs dense, orange-brown. Flowers pea shaped, with 5 petals, 2 joined together to form the keel, mauve to purple, occasionally white, the standard petal with a greenish yellow spot. Flowers in mostly pairs at the base of the upper leaves. Flowers Spring to Summer.
Rare Vic.
PlantNET description: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Hovea~purpurea (accessed 19 January, 2021)
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