''Jacksonia scoparia'', commonly known as dogwood or winged broom-pea, is a species of flowering plant in the family

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

and 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 eastern Australia. It is a shrub or small tree with angled or winged branchlets, leaves usually reduced to scales, cream-coloured to orange-yellow flowers and oblong, hairy pods.

Description

''Jacksonia scoparia'' is a shrub or small tree that typically grows up to high, sometimes up to and has erect or pendulous, strongly angled or winged branches and branchlets. Its grey bark is rough with furrows. Its leaves are reduced to egg-shaped, dark brown scales. The flowers are scattered along the branches on a

pedicel Pedicle or pedicel may refer to: Human anatomy *Pedicle of vertebral arch, the segment between the transverse process and the vertebral body, and is often used as a radiographic marker and entry point in vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures ...

long. There are egg-shaped

bracteole In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves in size, color, shape or texture. They also look ...

s long on the pedicels, but are sometimes lost. The floral tube is long and the

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 Etymology The term ''sepalum'' ...

s are membranous, long with lobes long. The petals are yellowish-orange with red markings, the

standard Standard may refer to: Symbols * Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs * Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification Norms, conventions or requirements * Standard (metrology), an object ...

petal long, the wings about long, and the

keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element of a watercraft, important for stability. On some sailboats, it may have a fluid dynamics, hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose as well. The keel laying, laying of the keel is often ...

is long. The

stamen The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament ...

s have yellowish-green

filament The word filament, which is descended from Latin ''filum'' meaning " thread", is used in English for a variety of thread-like structures, including: Astronomy * Galaxy filament, the largest known cosmic structures in the universe * Solar filament ...

s long. Flowering occurs throughout the year, with a peak in spring to early summer, and the fruit is a membranous, oval pod long.

Taxonomy

Scottish 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 ...

described dogwood in 1811 in

Rees's Cyclopædia Rees's ''Cyclopædia'', in full ''The Cyclopædia; or, Universal Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, and Literature'', was an important 19th-century British people, British encyclopaedia edited by Rev. Abraham Rees (1743–1825), a Presbyterian minis ...

, from material sent by John White and

George Caley George Caley (10 June 1770 – 23 May 1829) was an English botanist and explorer, active in Australia for the majority of his career. Early life Caley was born in Craven District, Craven, Yorkshire, England, the son of a horse-dealer. He was ed ...

to Kew Garden. The genus name honours George Jackson and the species name is derived from the foliage, which resembles Scotch broom (''

Cytisus scoparius ''Cytisus scoparius'' ( syn. ''Sarothamnus scoparius''), the common broom or Scotch broom, is a deciduous leguminous shrub native to western and central Europe. In Great Britain and Ireland, the standard name is broom; this name is also used fo ...

''). Jenny Chappill classified it in Group 4 within the genus, along with '' Jacksonia chappilliae'', '' Jacksonia rhadinoclona'' and '' Jacksonia stackhousei'' —all from eastern Australia. Dogwood Creek in Queensland was named after the profusion of the plant in the area by explorer

Ludwig Leichhardt Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig Leichhardt (; 23 October 1813 – ), known as Ludwig Leichhardt, was a German explorer and naturalist, most famous for his exploration of northern and central Australia.Ken Eastwood,'Cold case: Leichhardt's disappearanc ...

on 23 October 1844 during his expedition from

Moreton Bay Moreton Bay is a bay located on the eastern coast of Australia from central Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources. The waters of Moreton Bay are a popular destination for recreational anglers and are ...

to Port Essington (now

Darwin, Northern Territory Darwin ( Larrakia: ') is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. The city has nearly 53% of the Northern Territory's population, with 139,902 at the 2021 census. It is the smallest, wettest, and most northerly of the Australi ...

Distribution and habitat

''Jacksonia scoparia'' is widespread in south-east Queensland and eastern New South Wales north from Bega where it grows in woodland on hillsides and ridges, usually on low nutrient soils.

Uses and cultivation

Its tendency to flower profusely makes ''J. scoparia'' an attractive subject for the garden. It was introduced into cultivation in England in 1803. It can be grown in sun or part-shaded positions. During

drought A drought is a period of drier-than-normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D. Jiang, A. Khan, W. Pokam Mba, D. Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, ...

s, dogwood has provided a useful fodder that is relished by

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...

. Propagation is relatively easy from seed following pre-treatment with boiling water (similar to other members of the pea family). Cuttings also strike reasonably readily.Wrigley, John W.; Fagg, Murray, Australian Native Plants : Cultivation, Use in Landscaping and Propagation, Reed Books, Kew, Victoria, 1997,

References

External links

The Australasian Virtual Herbarium – Occurrence data for ''Jacksonia scoparia''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3008113 Fabales of Australia Flora of New South Wales Flora of Queensland scoparia Taxa named by Robert Brown (botanist, born 1773) Plants described in 1811