Species profile—Zornia pallida

Classification

Plantae (plants) → Equisetopsida (land plants) → Fabaceae → Zornia pallida

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Species details

Kingdom

Plantae (plants)

Class

Equisetopsida (land plants)

Family

Fabaceae

Scientific name

Zornia pallida Mohlenbr.

WildNet taxon ID

13735

Nature Conservation Act 1992 (NCA) status

Least concern

Back on Track (BoT) status

Data deficient

Conservation significant

No

Confidential

No

Endemicity

Native

Pest status

Nil

Short Notes

BRI 013599, determinavit slip of author, dated 1958

Description

Zornia pallida is a prostate herb that has glabrous epunctate stems. The petioles are 15 to 20 mm long. The leaflets are narrowly ovate-oblong and are 1.1 to 3.2 cm long and 4.5 to 6 mm wide with an acute apex and are obtuse at the base, they are glabrous, sparsely pellucid-dotted below; the lateral nerves are obscure, (the lower leaves are usually smaller and broader than the upper leaves). The petiolules are about 1 mm long. The stipules are narrowly elliptic, 8.5 to 10 mm by 1.5 to 2 mm and acute or acuminate at the apex, prominently spurred at the base and 5-nerved, epunctate, the spur about 2.5 mm long, acuminate or truncate. The inflorescence is 12 to 16 cm long, 9 to 13 flowered with the bracts overlapping about 1/4 of their length or barely touching each other, usually separated towards the base. The peduncles are 4 to 4.5 cm long. The bracts are elliptic-ovate, 10 to 12 by 5 to 6 mm, acute at the apex and prominently spurred at the base, 5 to 7 nerved and obscurely reticulate veined, rarely with a few pellucid dots. The fruits are 3 to 5 articulate, the articles are 2 to 3 by 3 to 3.5 mm and are hairy or glabrous with hairy or glabrous prominent bristles, the bristles 1 to 5 mm long.
Zornia pallida is characterised by the narrowly ovate-oblong leaflets with sparsely pellucid dotted lower surfaces and overlapping, comparatively large bracts with a prominent basal spur, and 3 to 5 articulate fruits with large, usually hairy, bristly articles. (Reynolds and Holland, 1989).

Distribution

Zornia pallida has a disjunct distribution in Queensland from Hughenden, Springsure, Roma, Monto, Gayndah, Dalby and Applethorpe on the Queensland-NSW border, and also from Armidale, NSW
Occurs in the following Queensland pastoral districts: Port Curtis, Burnett, Darling Downs, Leichhardt, Maranoa (Queensland Herbarium 2012).

Distributional limits

-20.4245797, 144.4128081
-28.6234108, 151.9594339

Range derivation

Range derived from extent of the taxon's verified records

Habitat

Zornia pallida is mainly found in eucalypt woodlands, often on dark heavy clay soils derived from basalt but also on sandy soils derived from granite (Queensland Herbarium 2012).

Status notes

Listed as Near Threatened under the Queensland Nature Conservation Act 1992

Notes

Contributors: Jan A. Abbotts 28/11/2001; Ron Booth 9/07/2012

References

Queensland Herbarium (2012). Specimen label information. Queensland Herbarium. Accessed 20/03/2012.
Reynolds, S.T. and Holland, A.E. (1989). The Genus Zornia J. Gmelin (Leguminosae) in Australia. Austrobaileya 3 (1): 13-38.

Profile author

Ronald Booth (09/07/2012)

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