Common name: Hog Potato, Indian Rushpea
Hoffmannseggia glauca (Ortega) Eifert APNI* Description: Low-growing, often decumbent perenniall herb, 15–30 cm tall; taprooted and producing tubers to 2 cm diam., shortly pubescent and with glandular trichomes.
Leaves impari-bipinnate, 5–15 cm long, glaucous-green, with 5–11 pinnae, 5–20 mm long, area on rachis of pinnae insertion usually strigose with multicellular glandular trichomes; pinnules 4–12 pairs, oblong, 3–11 mm long, glabrous above and strigose below; stipules 1.5–4 mm long, ovate, ciliate.
Inflorescence terminal, in racemes to 25 cm long, 4–15-flowered, peduncle to 5 cm longer than the leaves; rachis and pedicels puberulent to strigose mixed with reddish multicellular glandular trichomes; flowers to 14 mm long; pedicels to 5 mm long, recurving after anthesis; sepals 7–9.5 mm long, with simple hairs and reddish multicellular glandular trichomes; petals bright yellow to orange, upper petal yellow with red markings; conspicuous reddish multicellular glandular trichomes on all claw margins and base of dorsal surface; filaments with retrorse flat processes for half the length; style 6 mm long, glabrous; stigma obliquely terminal.
Fruit indehiscent, rectangular to arcuate or expanded at the tip, 1.5–4 cm long, 5–8 mm wide; valves lightly tomentose with a few scattered multicellular glandular hairs; seeds up to 10 per fruit, oval in outline, 3 mm long, brown.
Distribution and occurrence: Naturalised near Jerilderie.
NSW subdivisions: *SWP
The tubers were once eaten by indigenous groups in North America.
Text by S F McCune (July 2021) Taxon concept: Simpson BB (1999) A revision of Hoffmannseggia (Fabaceae) in North America. Lundellia 2:14-54.
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data ***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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