Flowers and leaves. Photo: Don Wood, Scotia Sanctuary, NSW

Old flowers and leaves. Photo: Tony Cathcart, Scotia Sanctuary, NSW

Pods. Photo: Tony Cathcart, Scotia Sanctuary, NSW

Old pods. Photo: Tony Cathcart, Scotia Sanctuary, NSW

Fruiting shrub. Photo: Tony Cathcart, Scotia Sanctuary, NSW

Common Name

Bladder Senna; Bladder Vetch; Bladder Swainsona; Rattle Pod

Family

Fabaceae

Notes

Annual forb, often shrublike, to 1.3m tall.  Leaves alternating up the stems, compound, composed of 13-17 leaflets each 1-3cm long, 5-15mm wide, flat, hairless, tips blunt or notched.  Flowers purple or mauve, fading to white.  Pea flower with five petals, two almost joined together.  Flowers in racemes of about 8-20 flowers, the stalks arising from the bases of the leaves.  Endangered NSW.  Protected NSW.

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

NSW Department of Environment & Heritage profile:  http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/threatenedspeciesapp/profile.aspx?id=10777