Kennedia macrophylla

Location & distribution maps

Plant  information

Common name:         Augusta Kennedia

Conservation status: Endangered

• This species of twining pea is listed as "endangered" under the Australian Government Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and as "Threatened Flora (Declared Rare Flora — Extant)" (as Kennedia macrophylla) by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions

• The main threats to the species include trampling by tourists, inappropriate fire regimes and land clearing

Etymology:   

• The specific epithet (lateritia) means "brick red"

Flowers:                  

• The flowers are arranged in up to eight clusters of three along a peduncle up to 100 mm long, each flower on a pedicel about 8 mm long

• The five sepals are 6–7 mm long and the petals are 15–18 mm long

• The standard petal is brick red with a yellow base and the wings are about the same length as the keel

• Flowering occurs from October to November 

Fruit:                         

• The fruit is a cylindrical pod 40–50 mm long and 6–10 mm wide

Leaves:         

• Trifoliate with elliptic, round or broadly egg-shaped leaflets 50–85 mm  long and 35–75 mm wide

• Each leaf on a petiole 30–50 mm long and the end leaflet on petiolule up to about 8 mm long

• There are stipules 15–20 mm long at the base of the petiole

Stem & branches: 

Roots:         

Habit:        

• A woody climber with twining stems that cover low vegetation or sometimes climb trees to a height of up to 4 m

Habitat:   

• Grows in low coastal heath, often among granite outcrops

Distribution:                  

• Endemic to the south-west of Western Australia

• In the Augusta-Cape Leeuwin area of south-western Western Australia

Additional notes:     

• Taxonomy

  • Kennedia lateritia was first formally described in 1864 by Ferdinand von Mueller in Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae

Sources of information:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kennedia_lateritia (2023)