Plants of South Eastern New South Wales

Psoralea pinnata

Flowering branch. Photographer Don Wood, Nungatta State Forest south of Eden

Shrub. Photographer Darren Hughes, Lake Sepping, WA

Shrub. Photographer Sophy, South Africa

Common name

African scurf-pea, Blue psoralea

Family

Fabaceae 

Where found

Dry forest, woodland, heath, rocky areas, roadsides, disturbed sites, swamps, and along streams. Coastal. Blue Mountains near the Great Western Highway.

Notes

Introduced shrub to 5 m tall. Younger stems hairy or hairless, slightly ribbed. Leaves alternating up the stems, appearing crowded, 2-5 cm long, compound, with 5-11 leaflets each 2-4.5 cm long, 0.8-2 mm wide, channelled above, surfaces hairy, gland-dotted, tips pointed, margins entirer. Flowers 15–18 mm long, pea shaped, with 5 petals, 2 joined together to form the keel, white to pale mauve with blue or mauve to purplish markings. Flowers in clusters of 1–6. Flowers Spring to Summer.

PlantNET description:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Psoralea~pinnata  (accessed 2 February, 2021)