Hovea longipes



Hovea longipes is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to north-eastern Australia. It is a shrub or tree with narrowly elliptic to lance-shaped leaves, and deep indigo-blue and white, pea-like flowers.

Description
Hovea longipes is a shrub or tree that typically grows to a height of up to 5 m, with many parts densely covered with yellow, tan or grey hairs, and with red glandular structures near the leaves and bracts. The leaves are narrowly elliptic to lance-shaped, 15–50 mm long and 5–20 mm wide on a petiole 2–5 mm long but without stipules. The flowers are usually arranged in groups of 2 or 3, each flower on a pedicel 3–10 mm long with narrowly oblong bracts and bracteoles 0.5–1 mm long at the base. The flowers are deep indigo-blue, the standard petal 5–10 mm long and 5–11 mm wide with a white centre. The wings are 6–8 mm long and the keel 5–6 mm long. Flowering occurs from March to September and the fruit is a irregular spherical pod 10–15 mm long and wide.

Taxonomy and naming
Hovea longipes was first formally described in 1837 by George Bentham in Stephan Endlicher's Enumeratio plantarum quas in Novae Hollandiae ora austro-occidentali ad fluvium Cygnorum et in sinu Regis Georgii collegit Carolus Liber Baro de Hügel.

Distribution and habitat
This species of pea grows in rainforest, scrub and woodland on sandy soils from near the Iron Range National Park in north Queensland to Lake Glenbawn in north-eastern New South Wales.