Chorizema cordatum, commonly known as heart-leaf flame pea,[2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to the southwest of Western Australia. Noongar people know the plant as kaly.[3] It is a woody, erect, scrambling or climbing shrub with heart-shaped leaves, the flowers usually brightly coloured in yellow, orange and red.
| Chorizema cordatum | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Faboideae |
| Genus: | Chorizema |
| Species: | C. cordatum
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| Binomial name | |
| Chorizema cordatum | |
Description
editChorizema cordatum is an erect, scrambling or climbing shrub that typically grows up to 1 m (3 ft 3 in) high and 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) wide. Its leaves are heart-shaped, 30–50 mm (1.2–2.0 in) long with a stipule at the base of the petiole, and often have wavy, toothed or lobed edges. The flowers are arranged in racemes up to 120 mm (4.7 in) long on the ends of branches or in leaf axils, the flowers 10–12 mm (0.39–0.47 in) wide, with various combinations of yellow, orange and red to pink. Flowering occurs from July to December.[4][5][6][7][8]
Taxonomy
editChorizema cordatum was first formally described in 1838 by John Lindley in Edwards's Botanical Register from specimens raised by Robert Mangles in London from seed collected in the Swan River Colony.[9][10] The specific epithet (caudatum) means "heart-shaped".[11]
Distribution and habitat
editHeart-leaf flame pea grows in forest, on rocky outcrops, along watercourses and on winter-wet flats in the Geraldton Sandplains, Jarrah Forest, Swan Coastal Plain and Warren bioregions of south-western Western Australia.[5][8]
Use in horticulture
editThis species can be grown as a garden plant, and does well in other parts of the country, (such as Sydney on the other side of the Australian continent). However, a summer with lower humidity is better suited for this plant. As it does not tolerate freezing, in cooler areas it requires the protection of glass.[2] Propagation from seed is easily achieved, and cuttings strike well.[12]
References
edit- ^ "Chorizema cordatum". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
- ^ a b "Chorizema cordatum". Australian Plants Society NSW. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
- ^ "Noongar names for plants". kippleonline.net. Archived from the original on 20 November 2016. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
- ^ Bentham, George (1864). Flora Australiensis. Vol. 2. London: Lovell Reeve & Co. p. 28. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
- ^ a b "Chorizema caudatum". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
- ^ Jackson, Ron. "Chorizema cordatum". Australian National Botanic Gardens. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
- ^ "Chorizema cordatum". Kings Park Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
- ^ a b Cronin, Leonard (2016). Australian Wildflowers. Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin. p. 154. ISBN 9781760292478.
- ^ "Chorizema cordatum". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
- ^ Lindley, John (1838). "Chorozema cordatum". Edwards's Botanical Register. 24: 10. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
- ^ Sharr, Francis Aubi; George, Alex (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (3rd ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 170. ISBN 9780958034180.
- ^ "Chorizema cordatum, Australian Native Plants Society".