Carmichaelia vexillata Heenan

Dwarf, spreading shrub, up to 0.15 m × 0.4 m. Branches stout, ascending and horizontal, 10-25 mm diameter. Cladodes linear, striate, usually subterete but occasionally compressed, erect to spreading, green and green yellow, often flushed with red, glabrous or sparsely hairy when young, glabrous at maturity, (20-)40- 70(-95) × 1.5—3(—4) mm; apex obtuse, yellow or green, often red in winter; leaf nodes 2-6. Leaves simple, oblanceolate, fleshy, entire, green to greenbronze, present on seedlings and occasionally on mature plants, 4-7.5 × 2-4.5 mm; adaxial and abaxial surfaces with scattered hairs; apex emarginate to retuse; base cuneate; petiole usually glabrous, 1.5-2 mm long. Leaves on cladodes usually reduced to a scale, triangular, glabrous, < 0.5 mm long; apex acute. Stipules free, triangular to narrow-triangular, 0.5-1.1 × 0.6-1 mm; adaxial surface glabrous; abaxial surface glabrous or with a few sparse hairs, glabrous at maturity; apex acute; margin hairy. Inflorescence a raceme, 1-2 per node, each with 2-3(-5) flowers. Peduncle hairy, green, 3.5- 10.5 mm long. Bracts triangular, glabrous, pale green to tan, 0.7-1 × 0.4-0.6 mm; apex acute; margin hairy. Pedicel hairy, pale green, 6-10 mm long. Bracteoles usually absent, if present on pedicel then narrow-triangular, glabrous, 0.2-0.4 mm long; apex acute; margin hairy. Calyx campanulate, 4-5.5 × 2- 2.5 mm; inner surface glabrous, green; outer surface glabrous to sparsely hairy, green. Calyx lobes longtriangular to triangular, green, 1-2 mm long; inner surface densely hairy; apex acute; margin hairy. Standard obovate, patent and positioned in central area of keel, keeled, 8-10 × 6.5-7.5 mm; distal and central areas of adaxial surface purple, proximal area pale green, margins white, sometimes purple-veined; distal and central areas of abaxial surface white, proximal area pale green, sometimes purple-veined; apex retuse; margins recurved; claw pale green, c. 3 mm long. Wings oblong, shorter than keel, 7-8 × c. 2 mm; distal and central areas of adaxial surface purple, proximal area green; distal and central areas of abaxial surface white, proximal area pale green; auricle triangular, pale green, apex subacute, c. 1 mm long; claw pale green, c. 2 mm long. Keel (Fig. 1C) 8.5-10 × 3—4 mm; distal and central areas of adaxial surface purple, proximal area pale green; auricle triangular, pale green, c. 1.5 mm long; apex subacute; claw pale green, 3-3.5 mm long. Stamens 8.5-10 mm long; lower filaments connate for c. 2/3 length, and with outside filaments free for 2-3 mm. Pistil similar length to stamens, 8.5-10 mm long; style bearded on adaxial surface; ovary weakly falcate, glabrous; ovules 11-13. Pod oblong to longelliptic, laterally compressed, weakly falcate, dark brown or light grey, indehiscent or occasionally with one valve partially dehiscent at base, 12-17 × 3- 4 mm; beak on adaxial suture, only weakly upturned, stout, pungent, 1-2 mm long. Seeds oblongreniform, (4—)9—11(—13) per pod, yellow, yellowgreen, or olive green, with black mottling, 2-2.75 × 1.5-2.5 mm. FL Nov-Jan, FT Dec-Mar.

[Reproduced from Heenan (1995, New Zealand J. Bot. 33: 455-475) with permission from The Royal Society of New Zealand.]