wiry bossiaea

Bossiaea cordigera is an erect or sprawling shrub that typically grows to a height of up to 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) tall and has wiry branches. The leaves are arranged in opposite pairs, egg-shaped to slightly heart-shaped, 3–6 mm (0.12–0.24 in) long and 1.5–7 mm (0.059–0.276 in) wide on a thin petiole 1–2 mm (0.039–0.079 in) long with narrow triangular stipules 0.5–2 mm (0.020–0.079 in) long at the base. The flowers are borne singly in leaf axils, each flower 4–10 mm (0.16–0.39 in) long and borne on a thin pedicel 5–20 mm (0.20–0.79 in) long with a bracts and bracteoles up to 1 mm (0.039 in) long. The sepals are 3–5 mm (0.12–0.20 in) long and joined at the base with the upper lobes 2.5–3.5 mm (0.098–0.138 in) long and the lower lobes 1.0–1.7 mm (0.039–0.067 in) long. The standard petal is yellow with a red base, a darker colour on the back and up to 12 mm (0.47 in) long, the wings 3.0–3.5 mm (0.12–0.14 in) wide and brownish-red, and the keel red with a pale base and about 4 mm (0.16 in) wide. Flowering occurs from October to January and the fruit is a narrow oblong pod 15–28 mm (0.59–1.10 in) long.

Wiry bossiaea grows in open forest, often in moist places and occurs between Portland and Healesville in southern Victoria and in the north and east of Tasmania.

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