Swainsona monticola

Notched Swainson-Pea at Corrowong, NSW

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Identification history

Swainsona monticola	10 Jan 2019	BettyDonWood
Swainsona monticola	10 Jan 2019	BettyDonWood
Swainsona sp.	5 Jan 2019	BlackFlat

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7 comments

MichaelMulvaney wrote:

6 Jan 2019

When I enlarge this photo the Swainsona seems to be virtually hairless and it has 15-17 leaflets, which doesn't seem to fit to any of the local species

BettyDonWood wrote:

6 Jan 2019

The trouble is that all of the diagnostics that need to be in excellent focus are blurred in this photo. I think it has to be Swainsona monticola. When I blow the photo up it is too blurred for me to tell whether the stems are hairless or not. I get a vague idea from a couple of the buds that the calyx teeth are shorter than the calyx tube. I am not really sure whether the leaf tips are rounded or notched rather than sharp pointed.
Leave as Swainsona sp.?

BlackFlat wrote:

6 Jan 2019

I can take another photo with leaves more on focus.

BettyDonWood wrote:

6 Jan 2019

It is the stems that are critical. We need to know what the hairs look like, particularly where along the hairs they are attached to the stem ie at one end or in the middle. You probably need to get a macro app for your phone to do that. The shape of the leaf tips and of the calyx that cups the flower (in your photo best seen in a sideways on photo of a bud) are also important.

BlackFlat wrote:

10 Jan 2019

Slightly better photo Betty!

JackieMiles wrote:

11 Jan 2019

It's a pretty good fit to my photos of monticola, with the sparse and narrow leaflets, with a hint of a notched tip on them. That's my guess. You're never going to get a good enough macro photo of the stem hairs to be able to ID it for sure that way. They're hard enough to make out even under a microscope, as to whether they are basifixed or medifixed, which is where the key splits, from memory.

BettyDonWood wrote:

11 Jan 2019

Thanks Jackie. Some of the CNM photos do show whether the hairs are basifixed or medifixed. I was really surprised when I saw them.

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