Carmichaelia nana (Hook.f.) Hook.f.

Dwarf, spreading shrub, 20-60 mm × 0.5 m, usually forming a dense mat of cladodes. Branches short, stout, often below ground level, 10-20 mm diameter. Cladodes linear, striate, compressed, usually erect and crowded, green or yellow-green, often hairy when young, glabrous at maturity, 10-30(-50) × 1.5-2(-4.5) mm; apex subacute, yellow, yellow-green, or red; leaf nodes 2-5(- 7). Leaves simple, obovate to broad-oblanceolate, fleshy, green, only occasionally present on seedlings and absent on adults, 4-5 × 1-2 mm; adaxial and abaxial surfaces hairy; apex retuse to obtuse; base cuneate; margins hairy; petiole glabrous or hairy, c. 1 mm long. Leaves on cladodes reduced to a scale, narrow to broad-triangular, glabrous, < 1 mm long; apex subacute to obtuse. Stipules free, c. 0.5 × c. 0.25 mm; margin hairy. Inflorescence a raceme, 1-2 per node, each with (1-)2-3(-4) flowers. Peduncle glabrous to hairy, green, 3—4 mm long. Bracts triangular, glabrous, pale green becoming membranous, < 0.5 mm long; apex subacute to obtuse; margin hairy. Pedicel glabrous or hairy, pale green, 1-2 mm long. Bracteoles on pedicel, glabrous, < 0.5 mm long; apex acute; margin hairy. Calyx campanulate, green to green-yellow, 1.5-2 × 1- 2 mm; inner surface glabrous; outer surface glabrous to sparsely hairy. Calyx lobes narrow- to broadtriangular, c. 0.5 mm long; apex subacute to obtuse, red to green; margin hairy or occasionally glabrous. Bud pale purple. Standard obovate, spreading horizontally above wings and keel, 4.5-6.5 × 4-5 mm; adaxial surface purple, with white margins and purple- veined; abaxial surface white, purple-veined; apex retuse; margin recurved; claw pale green, c. 1.25 mm long. Wings oblong, longer than keel, 3.5-5.5 × c. 1.25 mm; adaxial and abaxial surfaces white, flushed purple, sometimes purple-veined; auricle rounded, pale green or white, < 0.25 mm long; claw pale green, c. 2 mm long. Keel (Fig. 1 A) 4.5—5 × c. 1.25 mm; distal area of adaxial and abaxial surfaces purple, white in central and proximal areas, sometimes purple-veined; auricle rounded, pale green or white, c. 0.25 mm long; claw pale green, c. 2 mm long. Stamens 3.5-5 mm long; lower filaments connate for c. ½ length and with outside filaments free for 1.75-2.25 mm. Pistil exserted beyond stamens, 4-6 mm long; style glabrous or with few scattered hairs on adaxial surface; ovules (4-)7-8. Pod short- or broad-oblong, occasionally broadelliptic or ovate, laterally compressed, brown, black, or yellow-green, one valve partially dehiscent from upper replum, other valve usually indehiscent or only weakly dehiscent, 5-7 × 4.5-5.5 mm; beak in a central apical position, straight or slightly curved, 1- 3 mm long. Seeds oblong-reniform, 1-3 per pod, yellow, yellow-green, green, or black, occasionally with green or black mottling, 2.5-3 × 1.75-2 mm. FL Nov-Feb, FT Jan-May.

[Reproduced from Heenan (1995, New Zealand J. Bot. 33: 455-475) with permission from The Royal Society of New Zealand.]