prickly beauty

Pultenaea juniperina is an erect shrub that typically grows to a height of 1.2–3 m (3 ft 11 in – 9 ft 10 in) and has its young stems covered with curled hairs. The leaves are arranged alternately, varying in shape from linear to narrow elliptic, narrow egg-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, or lance shaped, often concave, often heart-shaped at the base and taper to a sharp point on the tip. They are mostly 5–30 mm (0.20–1.18 in) long and 1.5–2.5 mm (0.059–0.098 in) wide with a lance-shaped stipule 2–3 mm (0.079–0.118 in) long at the base. The lower surface of the leaves is darker than the upper surface and the edges are sometimes curved downwards. The flowers are 7–13 mm (0.28–0.51 in) long, arranged singly or in clusters, in leaf axils near the ends of short side-shoots with egg-shaped, tapering bracts 2 mm (0.079 in) long, each flower on a pedicel 2–3 mm (0.079–0.118 in) long. The sepals are 4–7 mm (0.16–0.28 in) long with lance-shaped bracteoles 1.5–3 mm (0.059–0.118 in) long at the base. The standard petal is yellow to orange with red striations, the wings yellow to orange and the keel yellow with a red tip or all red. Flowering occurs from October to November and the fruit is a hairy pod, the lower half enclosed with the remains of the sepals.

Prickly bush-pea is endemic to south-eastern Australia where it grows in forest, woodland and heath. In New South Wales it occurs in the Armidale area and on the coast and tablelands south from the Brindabella Range, including in the Australian Capital Territory and Kosciuszko National Park. In Victoria it is treated as distinct from Pultenaea forsythiana. If records of that species are included, P. juniperina is widespread in the southern half of Victoria. The species is widespread in Tasmania.

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