Small Purple Pea (Swainsona recta)

Description

The Small Purple Pea is a slender herb that can grow 20 cm to 30 cm high.
As a perennial plant, it exists as woody rootstock throughout late summer and autumn. It then re-sprouts between April and August and flowers during spring.
It has a taproot that can grow to 60cm deep into the soil.
It can produce 10–21 flower stems.
It grows multiple purple flowers along each flower stem.
The chances of the plant flowering are linked to the amount of frost nights in the previous season.
Plants are most likely to flower when there are 7 to 15 nights that reach -4° C or below.
Fire may also facilitate re-sprouting and stimulate seed germination.

There are a small number of remnant populations spread through the grassy woodlands of the ACT.
The broader population is now split into two main clusters. One is in eastern NSW between Wellington and Mudgee. The other is in the Canberra-Williamsdale district.

Urban development and agriculture have reduced and damaged the Small Purple Pea’s woodland habitat. Resulting in populations in the ACT becoming small, spread out, and in danger of disappearing.
Small populations are at risk of inbreeding and less genetic variety. This makes it harder for the plants to grow well.
A reduction in genetic variation weakens them and makes them more likely to be affected by disease and other disturbances. Added pressure also comes from invasive plants, unsuitable fire practices, and grazing by animals.
Climate change conditions such as drought, and intense and frequent fires.

National – Endangered (Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999).
Australian Capital Territory – Endangered, it is also a Special Protection Status Species (Nature Conservation Act 2014).

The Small Purple Pea’s populations across the ACT are at high risk of local extinction.

Conservation actions aim to:

manage sites to conserve the species and its habitat
monitor populations and the effects of management actions
undertake genetic rescue on targeted small populations
monitor where they're known to live, including habitat assessments
manage grassland and woodland around where they live so that they can grow in numbers
help with research and trials to create new populations
share knowledge and get more people involved in taking care of the species.