Australian Native Plants

  Platylobium formosum (Handsome Flat-pea)


Platylobium formosum photo
Platylobium formosum, Bunyip State Park, Victoria, Australia

Photograph by Melburnian. Some rights reserved.    (view image details)




HANDSOME FLAT-PEA FACTS

distribution map showing range of Platylobium formosum in Australia

Map is from The Atlas of Living Australia web site, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia License


Common Name
Handsome Flat-pea

Description
Handsome Flat-pea is a small to medium shrub that grows to about two metres in height. Its habit is an upright shrub, or trailing plant. The leaves are ovate or heart-shaped with very short stalks and grow up to 5 cm long and 2 cm wide. The plant produces yellow pea flowers with red centres in spring. The fruit is flat pods to 4 cm long which may be smooth or hairy.

Habitat
found in woodland, heathland and open forest

Distribution
Platylobium formosum is found on the east coast of Australia from south east Queensland, eastern New South Wales, eastern Victoria and north-east Tasmania.

Growth Characteristics
Height: 1m - 2m
Classification
Class:Magnoliopsida
Order:Fabales
Family:Fabaceae
Genus:Platylobium
Species:formosum
Common Name:Handsome Flat-pea


Relatives in same Genus
  Platylobium obtusangulum