Bossiaea aquifolium

Bossiaea aquifolium , commonly known as water bush or nedik,[2] is a species of flowering plant in the pea family Fabaceae. It is endemic to Southwest Australia.[3][4][5][6] The Noongar peoples know the tree as netic.[7]

Bossiaea aquifolium
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Genus: Bossiaea
Species:
B. aquifolium
Binomial name
Bossiaea aquifolium
Occurrence data from AVH

Description

The tree or bush typically grows to a height of 0.6 to 8 metres (2 to 26 ft)[3] with round holly-like leaves[8] that are sinuate and have nine sharp points or more per leaf.[9] The leaves are opposite and 0.8 to 2.2 centimetres (0.31 to 0.87 in) long with a slightly angular margin.[10] It blooms between July and November and produces orange to yellow and red to brown flowers.[3] The pea-shaped flowers are approximately 20 millimetres (0.8 in) wide and usually bloom en masse.[8] Seeds produced are small and for every one gram there are approximately 70 seeds.[2]

The species was first described by the botanist George Bentham in 1864 in the journal Flora Australiensis.[5]

Habitat

It is found in the Jarrah Forest and Warren IBRA regions in the South West and Great Southern regions of Western Australia, where it grows in clay or loam soils over laterite or granite.[3] It is a common understorey shrub in forested areas where jarrah and marri trees are found.[10]

Cultivation

It can be grown from seed and prefers a light to medium well-drained moist soil in a semi-protected position. It is drought resistant but susceptible to frost.[8] Hot water treatment or scarification is recommended prior to planting.[2]

There are two recognised subspecies:

  • Bossiaea aquifolium subsp. aquifolium
  • Bossiaea aquifolium subsp. laidlawiana[10]

References
  1. IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group; Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) (2020). "Bossiaea aquifolium". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T172928194A172928196. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T172928194A172928196.en. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  2. "Bossiaea aquifolium Water Bush". Nindethana Seeds. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  3. "Bossiaea aquifolium". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife.
  4. "Bossiaea aquifolium".
  5. "Bossiaea aquifolium Benth". Atlas of Living Australia. Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  6. "Bossiaea aquifolium Benth". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government.
  7. "Noongar names for plants". kippleonline.net. Archived from the original on 2016-11-20. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  8. "Bossiaea aquifolium". Australian Seed. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  9. "Bossiaea aquifolium Water Bush". Apace WA. Archived from the original on 26 November 2016. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  10. Margaret G. Corrick; Bruce Alexander Fuhrer (2009). Wildflowers of Southern Western Australia. Rosenberg. ISBN 9781877058844.
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