Yellow-Keeled Swainsona - profile

Indicative distribution

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Key:

known

predicted

The areas shown in pink and/purple are the sub-regions where the species or community is known or predicted to occur. They may not occur thoughout the sub-region but may be restricted to certain areas. ( click here to see geographic restrictions). The information presented in this map is only indicative and may contain errors and omissions.

Scientific name: Swainsona flavicarinata

Conservation status in NSW: Endangered

Commonwealth status: Not listed

Profile last updated: 07 Jan 2019

Description

Greyish-green forb to about 45 cm high, the stems bearing coarse white hairs. Leaves composed of 5-9 leaflets, each 10-15 mm long, 5-10 mm wide, hairless above, softly downy beneath. Flowers pea-like, purple, red or pink with a greenish-yellow keel. Pod 10-15 mm long, softly downy.

Distribution

Not common in NSW, having an outlier population in the Broken Hill-Menindee district in the far western plains. More common in the southern parts of the NT and inland SA.

Habitat and ecology

Grows in deep red sand, recorded from a roadside on a treeless plain in NSW. In central Australia, the species grows in Mulga communities on red earths and on stony soils supporting Bladder Saltbush. Also found on sandy plains and ridges, in grassland, and in watercourses and floodplains near creeks or rock holes.
Associated species include Acacia murrayana, A. aneura, Maireana aphylla, Atriplex vesicaria, Triodia, Solanum and Euphorbia spp.
Flowers from June to October.
Recorded as infrequent to locally common in populations.
It is not known if fire is influential in promoting germination, although the species has been recorded in burnt areas in SA.

Regional distribution and habitat

Click on a region below to view detailed distribution, habitat and vegetation information.

Broken Hill Complex

Threats

Grazing (the species is palatable and regarded as a “fattening fodder”).
Habitat clearing (particularly in remnant Mulga communities).
Erosion and feral animal disturbance.
Viability of seeds in the soil seedbank.
Fire may play a role in seed germination.
Lack of knowledge on priority sites and management requirements for the species.

Recovery strategies

A Saving Our Species conservation project is currently being developed for this species and will be available soon. For information on how you can contribute to this species' recovery, see the Activities to assist this species section below.

Activities to assist this species

Continued rabbit and goat control in population areas.
No further degradation or loss of potential habitat.
Protection from grazing and associated physical disturbances.
Conduct germination trials to determine seedbank and seed longevity.
Investigate fire regimes and other possible disturbance requirements.
Baseline surveys to confirm known sites and locate new ones.

Information sources

Black, J.M. (1917) Additions to the Flora of South Australia. Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of South Australia.
Black, J.M. (1924) Flora of South Australia. Part 2. Government Printer, Adelaide.
Briggs, J.D. and Leigh, J.H. (1996) Rare or Threatened Australian Plants. Revised Edition. (CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne)
Cunningham, G.M., Mulham, W.E., Milthorpe, P.L. and Leigh, J.H. (1992) Plants of Western New South Wales. (Inkata Press, Sydney)
Jessop, J.P. (1981) Flora of Central Australia. (Australian Systematic Botany Society, Sydney)
Jessop, J.P. and Toelken, H.R. (eds.) (1986) Flora of South Australia. Part ll. (South Australian Government Printing Division, Adelaide)
Lee, A.T. (1948) The genus Swainsona. Contributions from the New South Wales National Herbarium 1(1): 132-271.
Pressey, R.L., Cohn, J.S. and Porter, J.L. (1990) Vascular plants with restricted distributions in the Western Division of New South Wales. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 112: 213-227
Thompson, J. (1993) A revision of the genus Swainsona (Fabaceae). Telopea 5(3): 427-581.
Thompson, J. and James, T.A. (1991) Swainsona. In Harden, G.J. (ed.) Flora of New South Wales. Volume 2 (New South Wales University Press: Sydney).