Zornia dyctiocarpa var. dyctiocarpa

Family Fabaceae

Zornia

Prostrate or decumbent perennial herb to 30 cm high, leaves 2-foliate. Thin taproot to 5 cm deep. Longevity up to 10 years.

Flowers: Pea flower, yellow to orange with dark red markings.

Fruit: Indehiscent legume 15 – 25 mm long, breaking into 4 – 9, single seeded segments, December–April. Segments dispersed locally and by adhesion.

Seed: 1.5 x 1.3 mm in size. Not released from the segment spontaneously. Hard seeded, with physical dormancy. Soil stored seedbank. Germinates readily once scarified by nicking of seedcoat. 

Gallery images: seed, seedling, rootstock, resprout

Ecology

• Grassland and woodland habitats.
• Rare in woodland at the Australian Botanic Garden.
• Resprouts after fire.
• Can tolerate regular but not frequent mowing/slashing.
• Seedlings fail to establish in cultivation.
• Legumes reported to have nitrogen-fixing Rhizobium nodules on roots.