Bossiaea riparia

River Leafless Bossiaea

Bossiaea riparia, commonly known as river leafless bossiaea, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia
It is an erect or low-lying shrub with flattened branches, linear young cladodes, leaves mostly reduced to small scales, and yellow and red flowers

Common name: River Leafless Bossiaea

Conservation status: unknown

Etymology:

The genus is named in honour of Joseph Hugues Boissieu La Martinière, a botanist on La Pérouse's expedition to Australia
The specific epithet (riparia) means "frequenting the banks of rivers or streams"

Flowers:

The flowers are arranged singly or in small groups in recesses on the side of the cladodes, each flower 6–10 mm long
These are on pedicels 2–4 mm long with five or six bracts up to 1 mm long at the base and bracteoles about 1.5 mm long near the middle of the pedicel
The five sepals are 3–4 mm long and joined at the base forming a tube
The upper lobes are 0.8–1.3 mm long and 1.0–1.5 mm wide, the lower lobes shorter and narrower
The standard petal is yellow with a red base and about 12 mm long, the wings are yellow or brownish-red and 2.0–2.5 mm ( wide, and the keel is red and about 3 mm wide
Flowering occurs from August to December

Fruit:

Leaves:

Stem & branches:

Roots:

Habit:

An erect or low-lying shrub that typically grows to a height of up to 1 m, and has flattened winged stems, the cladodes 2–4 mm wide

Habitat:

Distribution:

River leafless bossiaea grows in woodland and forest south from the Australian Capital Territory and the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales to scattered locations in Victoria and Tasmania

Additional notes:

Taxonomy
- Bossiaea riparia was first formally described in 1864 by George Bentham in Flora Australiensis from an unpublished description by Allan Cunningham

Sources of information:

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