Artwork 64 Arkaroola Quintet

A superstar of the South Australian desert is “Sturt’s desert pea” (Swainsona formosa). On a visit to the arid zone Arkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary, I discovered many flowering examples glowing scarlet and black against the brilliant blue sky and ochre cliffs.

This artwork displays all phases of growth of this magnificent plant, which we discovered growing near Griselda Hill (named after the wife of Reg Sprigg, founder of the Sanctuary).

Swainsona is a genus of 85 species confined to mainland Australia, and formosa comes from the Latin for “handsome” or “beautiful” (Symon & Jusaitis, 2007, pp. 27, 33).

Although the pea family (Fabaceae) are relative newcomers, they were still well-established in the fossil record by the Eocene (55–34 mya) with fossil flowers and fruits. There is some evidence to suggest a Late Cretaceous (65 mya) arrival, from their fossil pollen grains (Kenrick & Davis, 2004, p. 203). In Australia, evidence from coastal Queensland to the South-West of Western Australia confirms at least an Eocene presence (Crisp et al., 1999, p. 293; White, 1994/1998, pp. 110, 120).

This painting was a finalist in the 2007 Waterhouse Natural History Art Prize.

Swainsona formosa also features in the series A Week in the Life of Sturt’s Desert Pea.