Artwork 65C A Week in the Life of Sturt’s Desert Pea: An Ant’s Perspective From Beneath—Sturt’s Desert Pea
Section 31
Plants of the Arid Zone—Desert Virtuosi
South Australia
- 1. Swainsona formosa (Sturt’s desert pea)
from the artist
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.
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).
Inspired by the striking colours of this pea and its many variations (red and brown, white and green, white and red, and various other combinations) I purchased a plant to grow and witness the total life cycle, which I sketched and photographed over a week or so.
The series of four round watercolour paintings A Week in the Life of Sturt’s Desert Pea is the result of this study.
An Ant’s Perspective From Beneath—Sturt’s Desert Pea displays the brilliant colours and shapes from beneath the unfolding flowers.
