Kingdom Plantae Family Fabaceae Scientific name Bossiaea scolopendria | Order Fabales Genus Bossiaea Rank Species | |
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Similar Bossiaea heterophylla, Bossiaea ensata, Bossiaea walkeri, Bossiaea rhombifolia, Bossiaea foliosa | ||
Bossiaea scolopendria, known as the Plank Plant is a species of flowering plant in the pea family (Fabaceae) found in eastern Australia. An erect shrub up to a metre tall.
It occurs from the Gosford, New South Wales region in the north to elevated areas west of Nowra in the south. Mostly found on sandy soils in heath or woodland. Fairly common on sandstone based soils near Sydney
An interesting feature is that leaves only fully form on juvenile growth or regrowth, which is mostly reduced to scales 1 to 2 mm long. Stems are up to 14 mm wide, hence the common name.
Yellow and red flowers, typical of many Australian Fabaceae form between August and November. The fruit pods are oblong, 3 to 5 cm long, 7 to 9 mm wide on a stem 5 mm long. Inside are five to ten seeds.