Carmichaelia kirkii

Detailed description

Vine 1-3 m tall, usually climbing, scrambling or sprawling, very rarely a bushy shrub. Branches up to 40 mm diameter, ascending and spreading. Cladodes 70-420 x 1.7-3 mm, spreading, sometimes divaricate, linear, striate, terete, green to bronze-green, hairy or glabrous; leaf nodes 4-12. Leaves 1-5-foliolate, present on seedlings and adults, particularly in shaded situations, terminal leaflet larger; lamina 4.5-8 x 2.5-6 mm, obovate to broad-elliptic, fleshy, green to bronze-green, usually glabrous but sometimes sparsely hairy, apex emarginated, base cuneate; petiole 6-25 mm, green or brown-green; petiolule 0.5-0.9 mm, glabrous, light green. Leaves on cladodes reduced to scales. Stipules 0.7-1 x 0.6-0.8 mm, free, triangular. Inflorescence a 1-5-flowered raceme, cladodes bearing 1-3 racemes per node. Peduncle 2-6 mm long, glabrous or hairy, green or red. Bracts 0.5-1.2 mm long, triangular, sparsely hairy. Pedicel 2.5-4 mm long, glabrous or hairy, green or red. Bracteoles 0.5 x 0.3 mm, narrow-triangular, on or near receptacle or lower part of pedicel, green or red. Calyx 4-5 x 2 mm, campanulate, green sometimes flushed red, glabrous or hairy. Calyx lobes 1.5-2 mm, narrow-triangular, green, usually flushed red. Standard 8-9 x 8.5-12 mm, orbicular or board-obovate, patent, positioned in central part of keel, weakly keeled, margins recurved, apex emarginated, rarely mucronulate; central portion of inner surface red-purple, margins white, sometimes purple-veined; outer surface white with a darkened central part. Wings 6-8 x 2.5-3.5 mm, oblong, shorter than keel, apex obtuse; outer surface white, proximal part pale green; inner surface sometimes purple-veined. Keel 8-9 x 3-3.5 mm, apex obtuse; distal part of inner surface red-purple, proximal part white or pale green. Stamens 6-5-8.5 mm long, dorsal filaments fused for ¾ of length, outer stamens free for 2 mm. Pistil 8.5-10 mm long, exserted well beyond stamens; style bearded on upper surface. Pods 12-18 x 4-5.8 mm, broad-elliptic, spreading, dark brown, grey-brown or yellow-brown, both valves partially dehiscent. Beak 3-6 mm long, stout, pungent-tipped. Seeds 2-3.5 x 1.7-2.5 mm, 2-5 per pod, off-white with black or dark purple mottling, broad-elliptic, reniform, oblong-reniform or rounded.