Assignment/exercise
USC Plant Profile - Fabaceae, Swainsona galegifolia
University of the Sunshine Coast
2022
Appears in UniSC Plant Profiles
Abstract
Habitat: Commonly occurring throughout New South Wales, Southeast Queensland with some occurrences in North Eastern Victoria, Swainsona galegifolia can be found in a variety of communities including Black Box (E. largiflorens) and River Red Gum (E. camaldulensis) (Action Statement, Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act, 1988).
Description: A robust renascent perennial shrub growing between 60cm to 2m high. The flowering plant emerges annually from rootstock, flowering and seeding in the late spring and early summer with die back occurring at the end of summer. Leaves are 5-12 cm long, pinnately divided with leaflets closely spaced and notched at the tip. Flower shape is typical of the pea family, occurring on a slender stalk with dense terminal racemes and glabrous calyx. Flower colour ranges from pink, mauve, red to yellow. Fruit is bound within hairless, leathery lime green pods and over the summer moths the pods dry and ripen releasing up to 30 seeds (Australian National Botanic Gardens,2016).
History: Named after an English medical doctor and botanist Isaac Swainson (1746 -1812) (Australian National Botanic Gardens,2016).
Ecological function/services: Indigenous Aborigines used Swainsona galegifolia and several other Swainsona spp. as a traditional antiseptic remedy, while modern medicine research has found therapeutic properties potentially useful as a chemotherapeutic drug used for reducing tumour cell mastitis (Cock 2021). Eastern Grey Kangaroos (Macropus giganteus) have been reported to utilise Smooth Darling Pea habitat. The shrub is nitrogen fixing, however Swainsona is poisonous to livestock.
Details
- Title
- USC Plant Profile - Fabaceae, Swainsona galegifolia
- Authors
- Kellie Newport (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and Engineering
- Location
- Latitude: -26.717 Longitude: 153.060; Behind M3 building near the pond, USC Sippy Creek Campus
- Publisher
- University of the Sunshine Coast
- Date collected
- 12-Apr-2022
- Date published
- 2022
- Copyright note
- © The Author. Reproduced with permission.
- Organisation Unit
- School of Science, Technology and Engineering
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99708797702621
- Output Type
- Assignment/exercise; Plant Profile Sheet
- Teaching and Learning
- ENS221; Plant Diversity and Ecology
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