Description
Sturt’s Desert Pea, is an Australian plant in the genus Swainsona, named after English botanist Isaac Swainson, famous for its distinctive blood-red leaf-like flowers, each with a bulbous black centre, or “boss”. It is one of Australia’s best known wildflowers. It is native to the arid regions of central and north-western Australia, and its range extends into all main land Australian states with the exception of Victoria.
Specimens of Sturt’s desert pea were first collected by William Dampier who recorded his first sighting on 22 August 1699.
The common name honors Charles Sturt, who recorded seeing large quantities of the flowers while exploring central Australia in 1844.