Plants of South Eastern New South Wales

Daviesia ulicifolia

Flowers and 'leaves' (subsp. ruscifolia). Australian Plant Image Index, photographer Murray Fagg, Kosciuszko National Park

Flowers and 'leaves' (subsp. ulicifolia). Photographer Don Wood, Jervis Bay National Park, NSW

Flowers and 'leaves' (subsp. stenophylla). Photographer Don Wood, Bush Heritage Carnarvon Station Reserve via Augathella, Qld

Shrub. Australian Plant Image Index, photographer Murray Fagg, Grampians National Park, Vic

Common name

Gorse bitter-pea

Family

Fabaceae

Where found

Forest, woodland, heath, disturbed sites, and rocky areas.

subsp. pilligensis: Between Cootamundra and the West Wyalong district. Rare. Occurs mostly north of the area covered by this key.

subsp. ruscifolia  South of the Hume Highway. Kosciuszko National Park, the mountains to the north, ACT, tablelands, and the western edge of the ranges. One record (1985) from Lake Parramatta Reserve, Parramatta

subsp. stenophylla Coast and ranges north of Moruya (including the Sydney area)

subsp. ulicifolia Coast, ranges, and the eastern part of the tablelands.. Occasionally in Kosciuszko National Park and on the Western Slopes.

Notes

Shrub, usually rigid, to 2.5 m tall. Branchlets and 'leaves' sharp tipped. Branchlets hairless, occasionally bristly. 'Leaves' scattered, 0.4-2 cm long, 0.5-7 mm wide, rigid, convex with the midrib prominent on the upper surface, surfaces sometimes glaucous. Flowers pea shaped, with 5 petals, 2 joined together to form the keel, standard petal yellow to orange with a red ring surrounding a yellow centre, 2-9 mm long, 3.5-10 mm wide, keel red to maroon. Flowers in clusters of 1-5 flowers, the clusters single or paired. Flowers Aug-Dec.

subsp. pilligensis has 'leaves' 0.7-2 cm long and 2-7 mm wide, and single or paired flowers, standard petal yellow with red markings, 3.5-6 mm long and 4.5-5.5 mm wide.

subsp. ruscifolia has 'leaves' 0.5-1.2 cm long and 1.5-4 mm wide, and single or paired flowers, standard petal orange with dark red markings, 3-9 mm long and 5-10 mm wide.

All native plants on unleased land in the ACT are protected.

subsp. stenophylla has 'leaves' 0.8-2 cm long and 0.5-1.5 mm wide, and single or paired flowers, standard petal bright yellow infused with red which darkens towards the yellow centre, 4-7 mm long and 5-6.5 mm wide.

subsp. ulicifolia sometimes has glaucous stems and 'leaves'; 'leaves' 0.4-3.5 cm long and 1-3 mm wide, standard petal yellow, 2-6 mm long and 3.5-9 mm wide; flowers in clusters of 2-5.

PlantNET description of species and key to subspecies: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Daviesia~ulicifolia (accessed 4 April 2021)

Description partly based on Crisp, M.D., Cayzer, L., Chandler, G.R. & Cook, L.G. (2017), A monograph of Daviesia (Mirbelieae, Faboideae, Fabaceae). Phytotaxa 300(1): 37-43, Figs. 11, 12