From my first glimpse of the Sturt Desert Pea, I was nearly blown away. So dramatic and strangely beautiful is its appearance, one could believe this flower found its way here from another alien world. Its common name honours Charles Sturt, who first recorded seeing large quantities of the flowers while exploring central Australia in 1844. The Desert Pea, (Swainsona formosa, previously known as Clianthus formosis,) is also recognized as the state floral emblem of South Australia. Its iconic status and striking beauty has ensured its use as a popular subject in art work and photography. The Desert Pea has appeared in several releases of postage stamps depicting Australian floral emblems, and it features in Aboriginal legends.
Native Koori groups refer to the Desert Pea as the ‘Flower of Blood.’ This title comes from a story which tells of a young woman who escaped marriage to an old man by eloping with her young lover. The shunned man and his friends tracked, found, and killed the couple together with the relatives that sheltered them. Years later the old man returned to the killing field only to discover the ground was covered with scarlet flowers we know as the Sturt Desert Pea.
On his first sighting of the Desert Pea, the 19th century botanist and collector, William Baeuerlen wrote, “To discover the Desert Pea trailing its long roots over the red sands, with its soft ash-grey leaves and large clusters of magnificent flowers rising from the level of the sand, will behold a sight he is not likely to ever forget.” Famous for its blood-red, leaf-like flowers, each with a bulbous black centre called the ‘Boss,’ the Sturt Desert Pea remains one of Australia’s best loved wildflowers.
Beautiful, and fascinating.
The Desert Pea is a real beauty and so other-worldly. I can’t believe it originated on planet earth.
The effect in the first photo truly is of something from outer space. They’re so strange, and so stunning. The color is one thing, of course. But those “eyes”!
What I did notice (one I got over the shock) was the leaves. They’re definitely pea-like. I was in a place last week where I found scarlet pea. My photos aren’t nearly so good as the one I linked; this one shows the similarity in the leaves.
I can see why it’s so honored, and why it would land on postage stamps. It’s a beauty.
Thank you for your comment, Linda. This Desert Pea has always been one of my favourite flowers and there is nothing else quite like it.
I was thrilled to see this plant on your blog as I am heading back to the Red Centre in September, hopeful of an amazing wild flower outburst after so much rain. These flowers almost look like the wild little creatures that are in Dr Who! The ‘eyes’ beetle at you… and you expect them to have a high pitched squeaking little gabbling ‘voice’. Thanks for all the information on them. I don’t recall seeing them depicted in indigenous art?
Thanks for taking time to leave your comment. I hope your visit to the Red Centre will uncover many of our beautiful wild flowers. It should be a paradise to paint and photograph.
A stunning wildflower and amazing story, Mary. Interesting! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Thank you,Iris for stopping to leave a comment. I’m enjoying introducing this fabulous flower through the internet.
I’ll join the chorus in admiring these gorgeous flowers and say I hope one day to see some in their native habitat.
They are absolutely unique in the botanical world and hopefully you can visit South Australia one day during the wildflower season.
What are the most likely months to see them?
There are more than 12,000 species of wildflowers in South Australia, making it the world’s largest collection. The season begins in June in the north, and sweeps down the state to finish on the south coast in November. Visit http://www.tourism.sa.gov.au to browse the site and download the self-guided Wildflower Guide. If you can manage it, this would be a fabulous experience.