Bossiaea barbarae

Bossiaea barbarae is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is an erect, compact, spiny shrub with egg-shaped to elliptic or oblong leaves, and deep yellow and bright red flowers.

Description
Bossiaea barbarae is an erect, compact, glaucous, spiny shrub that typically grows up to 0.75 m high and 1.5 m wide, the short side-branches ending in a sharp, reddish-brown point. The leaves are oblong to elliptic or egg-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, 1.2–3.9 mm long and 0.9–2.0 mm wide on a petiole 0.3–0.7 mm long with a stipule 0.6–2.0 mm long at the base. The flowers are arranged singly or in pairs in leaf axils, each flower on a pedicel 3–6 mm long with bracts, the largest bract 0.5–1.2 mm long. The sepals are glabrous, joined at the base forming a tube 1.5–3.0 mm long, the two upper lobes 0.8–1.4 mm long and the lower three lobes slightly shorter. The standard petal is deep yellow with a bright red base and 7.0–9.3 mm long, the wings 5.8–7.2 mm long and the keel 5.1–5.8 mm long and red. Flowering occurs from August to October and the fruit is a pod 8–16 mm long.

Taxonomy and naming
Bossiaea barbarae was first formally described in 2006 by James Henderson Ross in the journal Muelleria from specimens collected near Salmon Gums in 1998. The specific epithet (barbarae) honours "Barbara Archer of Norseman", the collector of the type specimens.

Distribution and habitat
This bossiaea usually grows near the edges of salt lakes in the Coolgardie, Esperance plains and Mallee biogeographic regions of Western Australia.

Conservation status
Bossiaea barbarae is classified as "not threatened" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife.