Sturt's Desert Pea

The floral emblem of South Australia is the Sturt's Desert Pea, Clianthus formosus. It was adopted on 23 November 1961. The plant grows along the ground and has grey foliage on stems of up to 1.5 metres in length. Flowers grow in clusters about every 15 centimetres along these stems on upright stalks. The pea-shaped flowers are usually red with a dark purple to black bulge, known as a 'boss', at the base of the uppermost petal. The Sturt's Desert Pea is found in the dry inland of Australia and is named after Captain Charles Sturt to commemorate his exploration of northern South Australia and Central Australia.