''Gastrolobium bilobum'', commonly known as heart-leaved poison, is a bushy shrub which is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to south west Western Australia. The species is a member of the family

Fabaceae Fabaceae () or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomen ...

and is probably the most toxic species in the genus ''

Gastrolobium ''Gastrolobium'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. There are over 100 species in this genus, and all but two are native to the south west region of Western Australia. A significant number of the species accumulate monofluo ...

'', containing high levels of monofluoroacetic acid. The species grows to a height of up to 4 metres. Between late winter and early summer (August to December in Australia) it produces yellow-orange pea-flowers with a central yellow area encircled by a band of red, and a maroon keel. The

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

are cuneiform, obovate or elliptic. The species was first formally described by botanist

Robert Brown Robert Brown may refer to: Robert Brown (born 1965), British Director, Animator and author Entertainers and artists * Washboard Sam or Robert Brown (1910–1966), American musician and singer * Robert W. Brown (1917–2009), American printmaker ...

and published in '' Hortus Kew'' in 1811. In the nineteenth century as a plant within the group of gastrolobium, it was written about in the local press. This continued into the early and mid twentieth century, due to the affects on agriculture. It has been further analyzed within the Australian Nucleotide and Protein sequencing. The vernacular name has been common for over 140 years, and is inappropriate due to the leaves being wedge shaped, not heart shaped as the name suggests. It occurs in the south-west of the state, usually on

granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...

-based soils on peaks and outcrops as well as along rivers. It is associated with

karri ''Eucalyptus diversicolor'', commonly known as karri, is a species of flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae and is Endemism, endemic to the Southwest Australia, south-west of Western Australia. It is a tall tree with smooth light grey to cre ...

and marri forest as well as mallee and

heathland A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and is characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a coole ...

References

External links

* * bilobum Endemic flora of Western Australia Rosids of Western Australia Plants described in 1811 Taxa named by Robert Brown (botanist, born 1773) {{Australia-rosid-stub