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Cullen tenax


Slender often trailing native pea to 50 cm. Fan-shaped leaves on long stalks up to 15 cm long, comprising 5-7, smooth-edged sparsely hairy leaflets, dotted with minute glands above and below. Spikes of bluish or mauve-purple pea flowers. Black wrinkled shiny seedpods.


Details
Flora Type
Herbs
Former Scientific Name
Psoralea tenax
Other Common Names
Tough Scurf-pea
Distinctive Features

Leaves are in leaflets of five to seven parts whereas most of the Cullen species have clover-like leaves with three leaflets.

Biology

Perennial. Widespread, often on heavy clay soils in grassland and grassy woodland. Highly palatable to grazing animals. Threatened in Vic.

Native Status
Native
Flowering Time

Aug-Mar

Taxonomy
Phylum
Tracheophyta (Vascular Plants)
Class
Magnoliopsida (Flowering Plants)
Order
Fabales
Family
Fabaceae
Genus
Cullen
Species
tenax

Important nutritious forage species but can form fibre-balls in the stomach of sheep. C. tenax is one of a number of Cullen species being investigated as low rainfall drought-resistant pasture species.


Interesting Facts
Similar Species

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Native Status
Native