Flowers and 'leaves' (ssp. ulicifolia). Photo: James Booth, NE of Melbourne, Vic

Flowers and 'leaves' (ssp. aridicola) . Photo: Don Wood, Scotia Sanctuary, NSW

Shrub (ssp. aridicola). PhotoV Don Wood, Scotia Sanctuary, NSW

Common Name

Gorse Bitter-pea

Family

Fabaceae

Notes

Shrub 1-2m tall.  Branchlets spine tipped.  ‘Leaves’ alternating along the stem, 0.4-2cm long, 1-3mm wide, flat, hairy or hairless, sometimes glaucous, edges smooth, with a sharp tip.  Flowers yellow and red or brown.  Flowers pea-shaped, with five petals, two almost joined together. Flowers single, or in clusters of 2-7 flowers, the stalks arisng from the bases of the 'leaves'.

Daviesia ulicifolia ssp. ulicifolia has green, not glaucous, stems and 'leaves', flowers in groups of 2-5, and the 'leaves' are 4-20mm long.

Daviesia ulicifolia ssp. aridicola has glaucous stems and 'leaves', flowers in groups of 2-7, and the 'leaves' are 8-17.5mm long.

Description and photo in G.M. Cunningham, WE Mulham, PL Milthorpe and J H Leigh (1981 and later printings) Plants of Western New South Wales page 390

PlantNET description: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Daviesia~ulicifolia