Hovea acanthoclada

Hovea acanthoclada, commonly known as thorny hovea, is a flowering plant in the family Fabaceae. It is an upright, prickly shrub with small dark green leaves and purple-blue pea flowers in winter and spring. It is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia.

Description
Hovea acanthoclada is an upright or prostrate scrambling, stiff shrub to 1.5 m high, and needle-shaped, hairy stems, mostly spiny. The leaves are oblong, whorled, flat, hairy, 2-5.5 mm long and 2-2.6 mm wide, margins toothed or lobed, pedicel 2-2.6 mm long and hairy. The bracteoles 0.7-1.2 mm long and hairy, calyx 4-5.6 mm long with simple hairs. The corolla colours vary, mostly blue or violet with occasional markings, standard petal 8-9.5 mm long and smooth, wings 7.5-8 mm long, keel 5.5-7 mm long. Flowering occurs from July to October and the fruit is a dry, smooth pod, 6-7 mm long and 9-10 mm wide.

Taxonomy and naming
Hovea acanthoclada was first formally described in 1863 by Ferdinand von Mueller and the description was published in Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae. The specific epithet (acanthoclada) means "spiny" and "branch".

Distribution and habitat
Thorny hovea grows in lateritic soils in the south-west near Ravensthorpe and gravelly locations near Kalgoorlie.