Bossiaea calcicola
{{Short description|Species of flowering plant}}
{{speciesbox
|name =
|image = Bossiaea calcicola.jpg
|image_caption =
|status_system = DECF
|status = P3
|genus = Bossiaea
|species = calcicola
|authority = J.H.Ross{{cite web|title=Bossiaea calcicola|url= https://biodiversity.org.au/nsl/services/apc-format/display/201556|publisher=Australian Plant Census|access-date=12 July 2021}}
|synonyms =
}}
Bossiaea calcicola is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to the far west of Western Australia. It is compact, glaucous, spiny shrub with oblong, wedge-shaped or round leaves and bright yellow, reddish and greenish-yellow flowers.
Description
Bossiaea calcicola is a compact, glaucous, spiny shrub that typically grows to a height of up to {{cvt|0.7|m}} with branchlets that are oval to flattened when young. The stems are winged, more or less glabrous with winged cladodes {{cvt|0.7–8.3|mm}} wide. The leaves are oblong, wedge-shaped to more or less round, {{cvt|1.5–7.0|mm}} long and {{cvt|1.1–4.0|mm}} wide. The flowers are arranged singly or in small groups, each flower on a pedicel {{cvt|4.5–7.2|mm}} long with one or more oblong or egg-shaped bracts {{cvt|0.6–1.2|mm}} long. The sepals are joined at the base forming a tube {{cvt|1.7–2.9|mm}} long, the two upper lobes {{cvt|0.9–1.3|mm}} long and the lower three lobes {{cvt|0.7–1.2|mm}} long with an oblong bracteole {{cvt|0.5–1.4|mm}} long near the base. The standard petal is bright yellow with a reddish base around two greenish-yellow "eyes" and {{cvt|7.4–8.2|mm}} long, the wings {{cvt|5.9–7.0|mm}} long and pinkish-red, the keel pinkish red and {{cvt|5.2–5.8|mm}} long. Flowering occurs from July to September and the fruit is a pod {{cvt|12–22|mm}} long.{{FloraBase|name=Bossiaea calcicola|id=30232}}{{cite journal |last1=Ross |first1=James H. |title=A conspectus of the Western Australian Bossiaea species (Bossiaeeae: Fabaceae) |journal=Muelleria |date=2006 |volume=23 |pages=89–91 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/278250#page/91/mode/1up |access-date=12 July 2021}}
Taxonomy and naming
Bossiaea calcicola was first formally described in 2006 by James Henderson Ross in the journal Muelleria, from specimens collected near Eagle Gorge in Kalbarri National Park in 1989.{{cite web|title=Bossiaea calcicola|url= https://id.biodiversity.org.au/instance/apni/608735 |publisher=APNI|access-date=12 July 2021}} The specific epithet (calcicola) means "limestone-dweller", referring to this species' habitat preference.
Distribution and habitat
This bossiaea grows on coastal cliffs and slopes in soil derived from limestone and occurs between Dirk Hartog Island and Geraldton in the Carnarvon, Geraldton Sandplains and Yalgoo biogeographic regions in the far west of Western Australia.
Conservation status
Bossiaea calcicola is classified as "Priority Three" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife meaning that it is poorly known and known from only a few locations but is not under imminent threat.{{cite web|title=Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna|url=https://www.dpaw.wa.gov.au/images/documents/plants-animals/threatened-species/Listings/Conservation%20code%20definitions.pdf|publisher=Government of Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife|accessdate=12 July 2021}}