# Pedleya

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***Pedleya acanthoclada***, commonly known as **thorny pea**,[2] is the only species of flowering plant in the genus *Pedleya* of the family [Fabaceae](/source/Fabaceae). It is a small shrub with pink or purplish flowers, and leaves in groups of three.

## Description

*Pedleya acanthoclada* is a small shrub about 1 m (3.3 ft) high with stiff, smooth branches bearing thorns. The leaves are in groups of three and smooth, the middle leaf longer than lateral leaves, the apex rounded, the [stipules](/source/Stipule) about 1 mm (0.039 in) long and the [petiole](/source/Petiole_(botany)) 2-4 mm long. The pink to purple flowers are about 8 mm (0.31 in) long, in 1 or 2 pairs or clusters near the end of branches on a [pedicel](/source/Pedicel_(botany)) about 1 mm (0.039 in) long. Flowering occurs in summer and the fruit is a pod about 50 mm (2.0 in) long made up of 2-7 segments, each segment about 9-12 mm long.[2][3]

## Taxonomy and naming

*Pedleya acanthoclada* was first formally described in 1861 by [Ferdinand von Mueller](/source/Ferdinand_von_Mueller), who gave it the name *Desmodium acanthocladum* in his *[Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae](/source/Fragmenta_Phytographiae_Australiae)*, from specimens collected near the [Clarence River](/source/Clarence_River_(New_South_Wales)) by [Hermann Beckler](/source/Hermann_Beckler).[4][5] In 2018, [Hiroyoshi Ohashi](/source/Hiroyoshi_Ohashi) and [Kazuaki Ohashi](/source/Kazuaki_Ohashi) transferred the species to *Pedleya* in the *[Journal of Japanese Botany](/source/Journal_of_Japanese_Botany)*.[3][6] The genus name honours [Leslie Pedley](/source/Leslie_Pedley),[3] (1930–2018), who was an Australian botanist who specialised in the genus *[Acacia](/source/Acacia)*.[7] The [specific epithet](/source/Binomial_nomenclature) (*acanthoclada*) means "spiny shoot".[8]

## Distribution and habitat

Thorny pea is found growing mostly near rivers in the [Lismore](/source/Lismore,_New_South_Wales) and [Grafton](/source/Grafton,_New_South_Wales) regions of New South Wales.[2]

## Conservation status

This species of pea (as *Desmodium acanthocladum*) is listed as "vulnerable" under the Australian Government *[Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999](/source/Environment_Protection_and_Biodiversity_Conservation_Act_1999)* and the New South Wales Government *[Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016](/source/Biodiversity_Conservation_Act_2016_(NSW))*. The main threats to the species include habitat fragmentation, damage cause by roadworks, trampling by livestock and weed infestation.[9][10]

## References

1. ["*Pedleya ancanthoclada*"](https://biodiversity.org.au/nsl/services/apc-format/display/51265340). Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 21 February 2023.

1. Barrett, R.L. ["*Pedleya acanthoclada*"](https://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Pedleya~acanthoclada). *PlantNET-NSW flora online*. Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney. Retrieved 21 February 2023.

1. Ohashi, H. & Ohashi, K. (2018). ["*Pedleya acanthoclada*"](https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jjapbot/93/5/93_93_5_10881/_pdf/-char/ja). *Journal of Japanese Botany*. **93** (3): 299. Retrieved 23 February 2023.

1. ["*Desmodium acanthocladum*"](https://biodiversity.org.au/nsl/services/rest/instance/apni/524077). Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 1 March 2023.

1. von Mueller, Ferdinand (1861). [*Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae*](https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/7219#page/127/mode/1up). Vol. v.2 1860-61. Melbourne: Victorian Government Printer. p. 122. Retrieved 1 March 2023.

1. ["*Pedleya acanthoclada*"](https://biodiversity.org.au/nsl/services/rest/instance/apni/51265341). Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 26 February 2023.

1. Burkhardt, Lotte (2022). [*Eine Enzyklopädie zu eponymischen Pflanzennamen*](https://doi.org/10.3372/epolist2022) [Encyclopedia of eponymic plant names] (pdf) (in German). Berlin: Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum, Freie Universität Berlin. [doi:10.3372/epolist2022](https://doi.org/10.3372/epolist2022). ISBN 978-3-946292-41-8. Retrieved January 27, 2022.

1. George, A.S & Sharr, F.A (2021). *Western Australian Plant Names and their meanings*. 4th ed. Kardinya: Four Gables. p. 125. ISBN 9780958034197.

1. ["Approved Conservation Advice for *Desmodium acanthocladum* (Thorny Pea)"](http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/species/pubs/17972-conservation-advice.pdf). Australian Government Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. Retrieved 1 March 2023.

1. ["Thorny Pea - profile"](https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/threatenedSpeciesApp/profile.aspx?id=10218). New South Wales Government Office of Environment and Heritage. Retrieved 1 March 2023.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Pedleya](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedleya) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedleya?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.