Carmichaelia petriei Kirk

Ascending, spreading, or prostrate shrub, up to 2.5 × 2 m. Branches 10— 100 mm diameter, stout, ascending, spreading, or prostrate. Cladodes 30-150 × 1-3.5 mm, erect to spreading, linear, striate, terete, or compressed, green, yellow-green, or bronze-green, stout or slender; apex obtuse or subacute, often pungent-tipped, yellow, yellow-green, or green; leaf nodes 4—11. Leaves 1-3-foliolate, present on seedlings, usually absent on adults, terminal leaflet larger; lamina 2.5- 12 × 2-7.5 mm, obovate, fleshy, green, adaxial surface glabrous or hairy, abaxial surface hairy, apex emarginate, base cuneate; petiole 2-13 mm long, glabrous or with few scattered hairs, green; petiolule < 1 mm long, glabrous, light green. Leaves on cladodes reduced to scales, < 0.5 mm long, broadtriangular, hairy on adaxial surface, apex subacute. Stipules c. 0.5 × c. 1 mm, free, triangular, apex subacute, margin hairy, adaxial surface glabrous or with few scattered hairs, abaxial surface with few scattered hairs. Inflorescence a raceme, 1—2(—3) per node, each with (3-)6-9 flowers. Peduncle 3-20 mm long, hairy, green and often flushed red. Bracts < 1 mm long, triangular, glabrous or sparsely hairy, green or red-green, apex acute to subacute, margin hairy. Pedicel 1.5-2.5 mm long, hairy, pale green. Bracteoles < 0.5 mm long, on receptacle or pedicel, green, hairy, apex subacute, margin hairy. Calyx 2 - 3 × 1.5—1.8 mm, campanulate, green, outer surface hairy and sometimes flushed red. Calyx lobes < 0.5 mm long, triangular, green and usually flushed red, glabrous or hairy, appressed to corolla, apex acute. Standard 4.5—5 × 5.5—6 mm, broad-obovate, patent, positioned in central part of keel, keeled, apex emarginate, margins incurved; inner surface white with various shades of red-purple, veins red-purple, margin often white; outer surface white, often darkened in central part; claw c. 2 mm long, pale green. Wings 4.5—5 × 1.5-2 mm, oblong, exserted beyond keel, white with distal part red-purple and proximal part pale green, apex obtuse; auricle < 0.5 mm long, triangular, pale green; claw c. 1.5 mm long, pale green. Keel (Fig. 2C) 4.5-5 × 1.5-2 mm; distal part red-purple, proximal part white or pale green; auricle c. 0.5 mm long, triangular, pale green, apex obtuse; claw 1.5-2 mm long, pale green. Stamens 4.5-5 mm long; dorsal filaments connate for c. ¾ of length, outer stamens free for c. 1 mm. Pistil 4.7- 5.2 mm long, exserted beyond stamens, glabrous; ovules 6—8; stigma with a fringe of hairs below. Pods 5.5-9.5 × 2.5-4.2 mm, broad-elliptic, oblong, broadoblong, or obovate, laterally compressed, usually pendulous or rarely spreading, light grey or brown; valves dehiscent along upper suture and distal and proximal parts of lower suture, usually long persistent but sometimes dehiscing completely; beak < 1 mm long, on upper suture or occasionally in a central apical position, stout, pungent-tipped. Seeds 1.8-2.6 × 1.2-2 mm, broad-elliptic, reniform, or oblong, 1—4 per pod, green or green-yellow with black mottling, quickly abscising from funicle. Chromosome number 2n = 32 (Slade 1953). FL Nov-Jan, FT Jan-May.

[Reproduced from Heenan (1996, New Zealand J. Bot. 34: 157-177) with permission from The Royal Society of New Zealand.]