Hovea longipes is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to north-eastern Australia. It is a shrub or tree with narrowly elliptic to lance-shaped leaves, and deep indigo-blue and white, pea-like flowers.

Hovea longipes
At Carrabak Conservation Park, near Roma
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Genus: Hovea
Species:
H. longipes
Binomial name
Hovea longipes
Synonyms[1]

Hovea leiocarpa Benth.

Fruit

Description

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Hovea longipes is a shrub or tree that typically grows to a height of up to 5 m (16 ft), with many parts densely covered with yellow, tan or grey hairs, and with red glandular structures near the leaves and bracts. The leaves are narrowly elliptic to lance-shaped, 15–50 mm (0.59–1.97 in) long and 5–20 mm (0.20–0.79 in) wide on a petiole 2–5 mm (0.079–0.197 in) long but without stipules. The flowers are usually arranged in groups of 2 or 3, each flower on a pedicel 3–10 mm (0.12–0.39 in) long with narrowly oblong bracts and bracteoles 0.5–1 mm (0.020–0.039 in) long at the base. The flowers are deep indigo-blue, the standard petal 5–10 mm (0.20–0.39 in) long and 5–11 mm (0.20–0.43 in) wide with a white centre. The wings are 6–8 mm (0.24–0.31 in) long and the keel 5–6 mm (0.20–0.24 in) long. Flowering occurs from March to September and the fruit is a irregular spherical pod 10–15 mm (0.39–0.59 in) long and wide.[2][3]

Taxonomy and naming

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Hovea longipes was first formally described in 1837 by George Bentham in Stephan Endlicher's Enumeratio plantarum quas in Novae Hollandiae ora austro-occidentali ad fluvium Cygnorum et in sinu Regis Georgii collegit Carolus Liber Baro de Hügel.[4] [5]

Distribution and habitat

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This species of pea grows in rainforest, scrub and woodland on sandy soils from near the Iron Range National Park in north Queensland to Lake Glenbawn in north-eastern New South Wales.[2][3]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Hovea longipes". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Hovea longipes". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Hovea longipes". Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment: Canberra. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  4. ^ "Hovea longipes". APNI. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  5. ^ Bentham, George (1837). Endlicher, Stefan F.L.; Fenzl, Eduard; Bentham, George; Schott, Heinrich W. (eds.). Enumeratio plantarum quas in Novae Hollandiae ora austro-occidentali ad fluvium Cygnorum et in sinu Regis Georgii collegit Carolus Liber Baro de Hüge. p. 37. Retrieved 19 October 2022.