About Hovea acutifolia A.Cunn. ex G.Don
Hovea acutifolia A.Cunn. ex G.Don is a bushy, slender shrub that grows up to 4 m (13 ft) tall. Its branches are densely covered with a mix of crinkled, wavy, or straight hairs that range in color from grey to rusty. The leaves are roughly narrow-elliptic in shape, with slightly down-curved margins, and measure 3–7 cm (1.2–2.8 in) long and 3–12 mm (0.12–0.47 in) wide. The upper leaf surface is hairless and has fine veins, while the lower surface is brownish, covered in soft hairs, and tapers at both the base and apex. Its blue to purple pea-shaped inflorescences hold 1 to 3 flowers, which grow from leaf axils on a peduncle; solitary flowers are borne on a pedicel 1.5–4 mm (0.059–0.157 in) long. The calyx is approximately 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) long and covered with loosely flattened hairs. The standard petal is 8–9 mm (0.31–0.35 in) long, usually marked with yellow-greenish patches; the wing petals are 7.5–9 mm (0.30–0.35 in) long, and the keel petal is 5–5.5 mm (0.20–0.22 in) long. Flowering takes place from late winter to early spring. The fruit is a pod around 15 mm (0.59 in) long, with a sparse covering of hairs. This species grows in damp, protected rainforest margins in New South Wales and Queensland.
