Kennedia prostrata

Location & distribution maps

Common name:         Running postman

Conservation status: ...

Etymology:   

• Kennedia prostrata was first formally described by Robert Brown in 1812 in Hortus Kewensis

• The specific epithet (prostrata) means "prostrate"

Flowers

• The flowers are borne singly or in pairs on a peduncle from 5 to 30 mm long, with bracts from 2 to 5 mm long at the base, the individual flowers on pedicels being from 5 to 25 mm long

• The five sepals are hairy, from 6 to 8 mm in length, and the petals are usually scarlet, rarely white

• The standard petal is from 13 to 23 mm long, the wings from 12 to 18 mm long, and the keel from 12 to 22 mm long

• Flowering occurs from April to November, and the fruit is a flattened cylindrical pod from 20 to 50 mm in length

Fruit:                            

Leaves:         

• The leaves are on a petiole vary from 5 to 50 mm long, with more or less round leaflets, which are from 6 to 35 mm long and wide with wavy edges

• The end leaflet on a petiolule is from 2 to 9 mm long, but the side leaflets more or less sessile

• There is a heart-shaped stipule about 5 mm long at the base of the petiole

Stem & branches: 

Roots:         

Habit:        

• A prostrate or twining shrub with wiry stems up to 2 m long that are hairy when young.

• It is naturally adapted to sandy or lighter soils and prefers a sunny position.

Habitat:   

• Grows in a variety of habitats, often on coastal sand dunes and on rock outcrops

Distribution:                  

• Occurs in all Australian states and territories, except Queensland and the Northern Territory

Additional notes:     

• A widely cultivated species that grows in temperate to subtropical areas and is hardy in most situations

Sources of information:

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