Carmichaelia nana

Detailed description

Dwarf, spreading shrub, 20–60 mm tall, 0.5 m wide, usually forming a dense mat of cladodes. Branches short, stout, often below ground level, 10–20 mm diameter. Cladodes linear, striate, compressed, usually erect and crowded, green or yellow-green, often hairy when young, glabrous at maturity, 10.0–50.0 × 1.5–2.5 mm; apex subacute, yellow, yellow-green, or red; leaf nodes 2–7. Leaves simple, obovate to broad-oblanceolate, fleshy, green, only occasionally present on seedlings and absent on adults, 4–5 × 1–2 mm; both surfaces hairy; apex retuse to obtuse; base cuneate; margins hairy; petiole glabrous or hairy, c. 1 mm long. Leaves on cladodes reduced to a scale, narrow to broad-triangular, glabrous, < 1 mm long; apex subacute to obtuse. Stipules free, c. 0.50 × c. 0.25 mm; margin hairy. Inflorescence a raceme, 1–2 per node, each with 1–4 flowers. Peduncle glabrous to hairy, green, 3–4 mm long. Bracts triangular, glabrous, pale green becoming membranous, < 0.5 mm long; apex subacute to obtuse; margin hairy. Pedicel glabrous or hairy, pale green, 1–2 mm long. Bracteoles on pedicel, glabrous, < 0.5 mm long; apex acute; margin hairy. Calyx campanulate, green to green-yellow, 1.5–2.0 × 1.0–2.0 mm; inner surface glabrous; outer surface glabrous to sparsely hairy. Calyx lobes narrow- to broad-triangular, c. 0.5 mm long; apex subacute to obtuse, red to green; margin hairy or occasionally glabrous. Bud pale purple. Standard obovate, spreading horizontally above wings and keel, 4.5–6.5 × 4–5 mm; upper surface purple, with white margins and purple-veined; lower surface white, purple-veined; apex retuse; margin recurved; claw pale green, c. 1.25 mm long. Wings oblong, longer than keel, 3.50–5.50 × c. 1.25 mm; both surfaces white, flushed purple, sometimes purple-veined; auricle rounded, pale green or white, < 0.25 mm long; claw pale green, c. 2 mm long. Keel 4.50–5.00 × c. 1.25 mm; distal area of both surfaces purple, white in central and proximal areas, sometimes purple-veined; auricle rounded, pale green or white, c. 0.25 mm long; claw pale green, c. 2 mm long. Stamens 3.5–5.0 mm long; lower filaments connate for c. ½ length and with outside filaments free for 1.75–2.25 mm. Pistil exserted beyond stamens, 4–6 mm long; style glabrous or with few scattered hairs on adaxial surface; ovules 4–8. Pod short- or broad-oblong, occasionally broad-elliptic or ovate, laterally compressed, brown, black, or yellow-green, one valve partially dehiscent from upper replum, other valve usually indehiscent or only weakly dehiscent, 5.0–7.0 × 4.5–5.5 mm; beak in a central apical position, straight or slightly curved, 1–3 mm long. Seeds oblong-reniform, 1–3 per pod, yellow, yellow-green, green, or black, occasionally with green or black mottling, 2.50–3.00 × 1.75–2.00 mm.