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Sphaerolobium

Sphaerolobium is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to Australia, occurring in all states and territories except the Northern Territory. Species of Sphaerolobium are erect shrubs, usually with rush-like stems and yellow or red flowers similar to others in the family.

Description

Plants in the genus Sphaerolobium are perennial shrubs, the stems often rush-like, leafless and winged or ridged. The leaves, when present are simple, linear and lack stipules. The sepals are joined forming a bell-shaped tube with five overlapping teeth, the upper two forming a curved "lip". The petals are yellow or red and pea-like, the keel shorter than the other petals. The fruit is a spherical or flattened pod containing one or two seeds.

Taxonomy

The genus Sphaerolobium was first formally described in 1805 by James Edward Smith in Annals of Botany. The name Sphaerolobium means "ball-pod".

Species list

The following is a list of species of Spaerolobium accepted by the Australian Plant Census as of June 2022:

References