Chorizema ilicifolium Labill.

Growth Habit

Chorizema ilicifolium is a slender, erect to spreading shrub with thin branches.

Leaf Characteristics

Its leaves are hairless, leathery, and range from egg-shaped to lance-shaped, measuring 19 to 25 millimeters (0.75 to 0.98 inches) long. Leaf edges have prickly teeth or lobes, and leaves often have a heart-shaped base.

Inflorescence

Flowers of this species are yellowish-orange and red, arranged in loose clusters that grow in leaf axils or at the ends of branches.

Sepal Structure

The sepals are 4 to 6.5 millimeters (0.16 to 0.26 inches) long; the upper two sepals are curved and joined for about half of their length.

Petal Structure

The standard petal is broadly kidney-shaped and twice as long as the sepals. The wing petals are shorter than the standard, and the keel petal is shorter than the sepals.

Flowering and Fruit

Flowering takes place from July to October, and the fruit is an oblong pod that grows up to 12 millimeters (0.47 inches) long.

Distribution and Habitat

This species grows on sand dunes and limestone hills along the south coast of Western Australia, between Busselton and Esperance, within the Esperance Plains, Jarrah Forest and Warren bioregions.