Bossiaea

{{Short description|Genus of legumes}} {{Use Australian English|date=July 2024}} {{Automatic taxobox | image = Bossiaea walkeri.jpg | image_caption = ''Bossiaea walkeri'' | taxon = Bossiaea | authority = Vent. (1800), nom. cons.<ref name=APC>{{cite web|title=''Bossiaea''|url= https://biodiversity.org.au/nsl/services/apc-format/display/62041|publisher=Australian Plant Census|access-date=6 October 2021}}</ref> | subdivision_ranks = Species | subdivision = See text | synonyms_ref = <ref name="APC" /> | synonyms = * ''Lalage'' Lindl. (1834) * ''Scottia'' R.Br. (1812) }}

'''''Bossiaea''''' is a genus of about 78 species of flowering plants in the pea family Fabaceae and is endemic to Australia. Plants in this genus often have stems and branches modified as cladodes, simple, often much reduced leaves, flowers with the upper two sepal lobes larger than the lower three, usually orange to yellow petals with reddish markings, and the fruit a more or less flattened pod.

==Description== Plants in the genus ''Bossiaea'' are shrubs, often with the stems and branches modified as cladodes, the leaves simple and often reduces to scales, usually with small stipules at the base. The flowers are usually arranged singly in leaf axils, usually with two or three small bracts or bracteoles at the base of the peduncle. There are five sepals, the upper two usually larger and united higher than the lower three. The petals are mostly orange to yellow, often with darker markings and the standard is about twice as long as the sepals. The stamens are united into a sheath that is split on the upper side and the fruit is a flattened pod containing seeds with an aril.<ref name="RBGV">{{cite web |title=''Bossiaea'' |url=https://vicflora.rbg.vic.gov.au/flora/taxon/dae70f15-f957-4e9d-8147-64a9aa46de87 |publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria |access-date=3 July 2021}}</ref><ref name="RBGS">{{cite web |title=''Bossiaea'' |url=https://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&showsyn=&dist=&constat=&lvl=gn&name=Bossiaea |publisher=Royal Botanic Garden Sydney |access-date=3 July 2021}}</ref><ref name=FloraBase>{{FloraBase|name=''Bossiaea'' Vent. |id=21543}}</ref><ref name="efloraSA">{{cite web |title=''Bossiaea'' |url=http://www.flora.sa.gov.au/cgi-bin/speciesfacts_display.cgi?form=speciesfacts&name=Bossiaea |publisher=State Herbarium of South Australia |access-date=3 July 2021}}</ref><ref name="Carolin">{{cite book |last1=Carolin |first1=Roger C. |last2=Tindale |first2=Mary D. |title=Flora of the Sydney region |date=1994 |publisher=Reed |location=Chatswood, NSW |isbn=0730104001 |page=356 |edition=4th}}</ref>

==Taxonomy== The genus ''Bossiaea'' was first formally described in 1800 by Étienne Pierre Ventenat in his book, ''Description des Plantes Nouvelles et peu connues, cultivées dans le Jardin de J.M. Cels'' and the first species he described was ''Bossiaea heterophylla''.<ref name=APNI>{{cite web|title=''Bossiaea''|url= http://id.biodiversity.org.au/instance/apni/467614 |publisher=APNI|access-date=3 July 2021}}</ref><ref name="Vent.">{{cite book |last1=Ventenat |first1=Étienne P. |title=Description des Plantes Nouvelles et peu connues, cultivées dans le Jardin de J.M. Cels |date=1800 |location=Paris |page=7 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/133288#page/45/mode/1up |access-date=3 July 2021}}</ref> The genus is named in honour of Joseph Hugues Boissieu La Martinière, a botanist on La Pérouse's expedition to Australia.<ref name="Sharr">{{cite book |last1=Sharr |first1=Francis Aubi |last2=George |first2=Alex |title=Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings |date=2019 |publisher=Four Gables Press |location=Kardinya, WA |isbn=9780958034180 |page=641 |edition=3rd}}</ref>

===Species list=== The following is a list of species of ''Bossiaea'' accepted by the Australian Plant Census as at July 2021:<ref name="APClist">{{cite web |title=''Bossiaea'' |url=https://biodiversity.org.au/nsl/services/search/taxonomy?product=APC&tree.id=51209179&name=Bossiaea&inc._scientific=&inc.scientific=on&inc._cultivar=&max=1000&display=apc&search=true |publisher=Australian Plant Census |access-date=3 July 2021}}</ref> {{div col|colwidth=300px}} * ''Bossiaea alpina'' I.Thomps. (Vic.) * ''Bossiaea angustifolia'' {{small|(Meisn.) Keighery}} * ''Bossiaea aquifolium'' Benth. ― water bush (W.A.) ** ''Bossiaea aquifolium'' Benth. subsp. ''aquifolium'' ** ''Bossiaea aquifolium'' subsp. ''laidlawiana'' (Tovey & P.Morris) J.H.Ross * ''Bossiaea arcuata'' J.H.Ross (W.A.) * ''Bossiaea arenicola'' J.H.Ross (Qld.) * ''Bossiaea arenitensis'' R.L.Barrett (W.A.) * ''Bossiaea armitii'' F.Muell. (Qld.) * ''Bossiaea atrata'' J.H.Ross (W.A.) * ''Bossiaea aurantiaca'' J.H.Ross (W.A.) * ''Bossiaea barbarae'' J.H.Ross (W.A.) * ''Bossiaea barrettiorum'' J.H.Ross (W.A.) * ''Bossiaea bombayensis'' K.L.McDougall – Bombay bossiaea (N.S.W.) * ''Bossiaea bossiaeoides'' (A.Cunn. ex Benth.) Court (W.A., N.T., Qld.) * ''Bossiaea bracteosa'' F.Muell. ex Benth. ― mountain leafless bossiaea (Vic.) * ''Bossiaea brownii'' Benth. (Qld.) * ''Bossiaea buxifolia'' A.Cunn. – matted bossiaea (Qld., N.S.W., A.C.T., Vic.) * ''Bossiaea calcicola'' J.H.Ross (W.A.) * ''Bossiaea carinalis'' Benth. (QLD.) * ''Bossiaea celata'' J.H.Ross (W.A.) * ''Bossiaea cinerea'' R.Br. – showy bossiaea (S.A., N.S.W., Vic., Tas.) * ''Bossiaea concinna'' Benth. (W.A.) * ''Bossiaea concolor'' (Maiden & Betche) I.Thomps. (Qld., N.S.W.) * ''Bossiaea cordigera'' Hook.f. – wiry bossiaea (Vic., Tas.) * ''Bossiaea cucullata'' J.H.Ross (W.A.) * ''Bossiaea dasycarpa'' I.Thomps. (Qld., N.S.W.) * ''Bossiaea decumbens'' F.Muell. (Vic.) * ''Bossiaea dentata'' (R.Br.) Benth. (W.A.) * ''Bossiaea disticha'' Lindl. (W.A.) * ''Bossiaea distichoclada'' F.Muell. (Vic., N.S.W.) * ''Bossiaea divaricata'' Turcz. (W.A.) * ''Bossiaea ensata'' Sieber ex DC. – sword bossiaea (Qld., N.S.W., Vic., S.A.) * ''Bossiaea eremaea'' J.H.Ross (W.A.) * ''Bossiaea eriocarpa'' Benth. – common brown pea (W.A.) * ''Bossiaea flexuosa'' J.H.Ross (W.A.) * ''Bossiaea foliosa'' A.Cunn. – leafy bossiaea (N.S.W., A.C.T., Vic.) * ''Bossiaea fragrans'' K.L.McDougall (N.S.W.) * ''Bossiaea grayi'' K.L.McDougall – Murrumbidgee bossiaea (A.C.T.) * ''Bossiaea halophila'' J.H.Ross. (W.A.) * ''Bossiaea heterophylla'' Vent. – variable bossiaea (Qld., N.S.W., Vic., Tas.) * ''Bossiaea inundata'' J.H.Ross (W.A.) * ''Bossiaea kiamensis'' Benth. (N.S.W.) * ''Bossiaea laxa'' J.H.Ross (W.A.) * ''Bossiaea lenticularis'' Sieber ex DC. (N.S.W.) * ''Bossiaea leptacantha'' E.Pritz. (W.A.) * ''Bossiaea linophylla'' R.Br. (W.A.) * ''Bossiaea milesiae'' K.L.McDougall (N.S.W.) * ''Bossiaea modesta'' J.H.Ross (W.A.) * ''Bossiaea neoanglica'' F.Muell. (N.S.W., Qld.) * ''Bossiaea nummularia'' Endl. (N.S.W.) * ''Bossiaea obcordata'' (Vent.) Druce – spiny bossiaea (N.S.W., Vic., Qld.) * ''Bossiaea obovata'' I.Thomps. (Qld., N.S.W.) * ''Bossiaea oligosperma'' A.T.Lee (N.S.W.) * ''Bossiaea ornata'' (Lindl.) Benth. (W.A.) * ''Bossiaea oxyclada'' Turcz. (W.A.) * ''Bossiaea peduncularis'' Turcz. (W.A.) * ''Bossiaea peninsularis'' I.Thomps. (S.A.) * ''Bossiaea praetermissa'' J.H.Ross (W.A.) * ''Bossiaea preissii'' Meisn. (W.A.) * ''Bossiaea prostrata'' R.Br. – creeping bossiaea (Qld., N.S.W., Vic., S.A., Tas.) * ''Bossiaea pulchella'' Meisn. (W.A.) * ''Bossiaea rhombifolia'' Sieber ex DC. (N.S.W., Qld.) * ''Bossiaea riparia'' A.Cunn. ex Benth. – river leafless bossiaea (N.S.W., A.C.T., Vic., Tas.) * ''Bossiaea rosmarinifolia'' Lindl. – Grampians bossiaea (Vic.) * ''Bossiaea rufa'' R.Br. (W.A.) * ''Bossiaea rupicola'' A.Cunn. ex Benth. (N.S.W., Qld.) * ''Bossiaea saxosa'' J.H.Ross (W.A.) * ''Bossiaea scolopendria'' (Andrews) Sm. (N.S.W.) * ''Bossiaea scortechinii'' F.Muell. (Qld., N.S.W.) * ''Bossiaea sericea'' I.Thomps. (N.S.W., A.C.T., Vic.) * ''Bossiaea simulata'' J.H.Ross (W.A.) * ''Bossiaea smithiorum'' J.H.Ross (W.A.) * ''Bossiaea spinescens'' Meisn. (W.A.) * ''Bossiaea spinosa'' (Turcz.) Domin (W.A.) * ''Bossiaea stephensonii'' F.Muell. (N.S.W.) * ''Bossiaea tasmanica'' I.Thomps. (Tas.) * ''Bossiaea vombata'' J.H.Ross – wombat bossiaea (Vic.) * ''Bossiaea walkeri'' F.Muell. – cactus bossiaea, cactus pea (W.A., S.A., N.S.W., Vic.) * ''Bossiaea webbii'' F.Muell. – water bush (W.A.) * ''Bossiaea zarae'' R.L.Barrett – Princess May winged pea (W.A.) {{div col end}}

==Distribution== Species of ''Bossiaea'' occur in all Australian states and mainland territories, including seven in Tasmania and one (''Bossiaea bossiaeoides'' in the Northern Territory.<ref name="FloraBase" /><ref name="utas">{{cite web |last1=Jordan |first1=Greg |title=Key to Tasmanian Vascular Plants |url=https://www.utas.edu.au/dicotkey/dicotkey/FAB/sBossiaea.htm |publisher=University of Tasmania |access-date=3 July 2021}}</ref><ref name="efloraNT">{{cite web |title=''Bossiaea bossiaeoides'' |url=http://eflora.nt.gov.au/factsheet?id=2146 |publisher=Northern Territory Government |access-date=3 July 2021}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

Category:Bossiaea Category:Fabaceae genera Category:Fabales of Australia Category:Endemic flora of Australia Category:Taxa named by Étienne Pierre Ventenat