Hovea planifolia

Hovea planifolia, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to Queensland, Australia. It is a shrub with very narrowly elliptic, lance-shaped or strap-like leaves, purplish flowers and oval or egg-shaped pods.

Hovea planifolia is a shrub that typically grows to a height of up to 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in), with branchlets covered in grey hairs. Its leaves are very narrowly elliptic, lance-shaped or strap-like, 40–120 mm (1.6–4.7 in) long and 9–25 mm (0.35–0.98 in) wide on a petiole 3–9 mm (0.12–0.35 in) long, with more or less flat edges, the upper surface smooth with a few scattered weak hairs. There are stipules 2–3.2 mm (0.079–0.126 in) long at the base of the leaves. The flowers are borne in groups of three on a peduncle 0.5–8 mm (0.020–0.315 in) long, each flower on a pedicel 2–3 mm (0.079–0.118 in) long. The flowers are pinkish-purple at first, later purplish, with narrowly egg-shaped to egg-shaped bracts and bracteoles 2.4–3.5 mm (0.094–0.138 in) long. The sepals are 4–5.2 mm (0.16–0.20 in) long, forming a tube 2–3.5 mm (0.079–0.138 in) long, the upper lip about 3 mm (0.12 in) wide. The standard petal is 8.6–9.57 mm (0.339–0.377 in) long with a green-yellow centre, the wings 3.3–4.2 mm (0.13–0.17 in) wide. Flowering occurs in August and September and the fruit is a sessile or subsessile, densely hairy pod. The seed has an aril about 5 mm (0.20 in) long.^[2][3]

This species was first formally described in 1926 by Karel Domin who gave it the name Hovea longifolia subvar. planifolia in Bibliotheca Botanica from specimens collected near the Brisbane River.^[4] In 1989, James Henderson Ross raised the variety to species status as Hovea planifolia in the journal Muelleria.^[2][5] The specific epithet (planifolia) means 'flat-leaved'.^[6]

This hovea grows in sandy soils or on sandstone outcrops in forest, woodland and heath in south-eastern Queensland between Salvatora Rosa National Park and Mount Bangalora near the border with New South Wales.^[2][3]