About Hovea heterophylla A.Cunn. ex Hook.f.
Hovea heterophylla (common name creeping hovea) is a small subshrub that grows up to 0.5 m (1 ft 8 in) tall. Its stems are either upright or trailing, mostly emerging from a woody rootstock, and covered in flattened, grey-brown straight hairs. The species has dark green leaves that are variable in shape: lower leaves are rounded to elliptic, while upper leaves are elliptic, linear, or lance-shaped. Most leaves measure up to 6.5 cm (−2.6 in) long and 1.5–17 mm (0.059–0.669 in) wide. Leaf margins are rolled under to curved, and leaves end in a hooked apex. The upper leaf surface is hairless, smooth, with net-like veins, while the lower leaf surface is paler and covered in dense, flattened hairs. The inflorescence holds 1 to 3 pale mauve or purple flowers. The standard petal is striped with a yellow centre, the keel is dark purple, the calyx is 3.5–5 mm (0.14–0.20 in) long, and the pedicel is 1.5–3 mm (0.059–0.118 in) long. Flowering occurs between October and December. The fruit is a rounded, flattened pod 9 mm (0.35 in) long, covered in fine, flattened, rigid hairs. This species is common and widespread, growing in grassy woodland and montane forests on coasts and ranges in New South Wales. It occurs in all Australian states other than Western Australia.
