Kennedia beckxiana

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cape Arid kennedia
Kennedia beckxiana in Royal Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne

Priority Four — Rare Taxa (DEC)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Genus: Kennedia
Species:
K. beckxiana
Binomial name
Kennedia beckxiana

Kennedia beckxiana, commonly known as Cape Arid kennedia,[2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a prostrate or twining shrub or a climber with trifoliate leaves and red and yellow, pea-like flowers.

Description[edit]

Kennedia beckxiana is a prostrate or twining shrub or a climber. Its leaves are trifoliate with stipules at the base of the petiole. The flowers are arranged on a hairy pedicel 8.0–8.5 mm (0.31–0.33 in) long. The five sepals are hairy and 9.5–11 mm (0.37–0.43 in) long, the standard petal red with a yellow base and up to 34 mm (1.3 in) long, the wings 30–35 mm (1.2–1.4 in) long, and the keel 28–30 mm (1.1–1.2 in) long. Flowering occurs from September to December and the fruit is a flattened pod 80–90 mm (3.1–3.5 in) long and 5–7 mm (0.20–0.28 in) wide.[2]

Taxonomy and naming[edit]

Kennedia beckxiana was first formally described in 1880 by Ferdinand von Mueller in Fragmenta phytographiae Australiae from specimens collected by William Webb near King George's Sound.[3][4] The specific epithet (beckxiana) honours Gustav Beckx, a Belgian consul-general.[4][5]

Distribution and habitat[edit]

Cape Arid kennedia grows on granite hills and outcrops in the Esperance Plains, Mallee and Swan Coastal Plain biogeographic regions of south-western Western Australia.[2][6]

Conservation status[edit]

Kennedia beckxiana is classified as "Priority Four" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions,[2] meaning that is rare or near threatened.[7]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Kennedia beckxiana". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d "Kennedia beckxiana". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  3. ^ "Kennedia beckxiana". APNI. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  4. ^ a b von Mueller, Ferdinand (1880). Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae. Melbourne: Victorian Government Printer. pp. 98–100. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  5. ^ Sharr, Francis Aubi; George, Alex (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (3rd ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 144. ISBN 9780958034180.
  6. ^ Paczkowska, Grazyna (2000). The Western Australian flora : a descriptive catalogue. Perth: Wildflower Society of Western Australia. p. 438. ISBN 0646401009.
  7. ^ "Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna" (PDF). Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 7 October 2021.