Gastrolobium


Gastrolobium is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. There are over 100 species in this genus, and all but two are native to the south west region of Western Australia.
A significant number of the species accumulate monofluoroacetate, which caused introduced/non native animal deaths from the 1840s in Western Australia. The controversy over the cause of the stock poisoning in that time involved the botanist James Drummond in a series of tests to ascertain the cause of the poisoning, which was determined to be caused primarily by the plants York Road poison and Champion Bay poison.
In the 1930s and 1940s Charles [Gardner (botanist)|C.A. Gardner] and H.W. Bennetts identified other species in Western Australia, leading to the publication of The Toxic Plants of Western Australia in 1956.
The base chromosome number of Gastrolobium is 2n = 16.

Species

Gastrolobium comprises the following species:

''Gastrolobium bilobum'' Group

''Gastrolobium parviflorum'' Subgroup

''Gastrolobium calycinum'' Group

''Gastrolobium celsianum'' Group

''Gastrolobium cruciatum'' Group

''Gastrolobium floribundum'' Group

''Gastrolobium heterophyllum'' Group

''Gastrolobium ilicifolium'' Group

''Gastrolobium obovatum'' Group

''Gastrolobium pyramidale'' Group

''Gastrolobium retusum'' Group

''Gastrolobium spinosum'' Group

''Gastrolobium villosum'' Group

''Incertae Sedis''

Species names with uncertain taxonomic status

The status of the following species is unresolved:
  • Gastrolobium boormani Maiden & Betche
  • Gastrolobium compactum C.A. Gardner
  • Gastrolobium elachistum F.Muell.
  • Gastrolobium henfreyi Lem.
  • Gastrolobium huegelii Henfr.
  • Gastrolobium makoyanum Heynh.
  • Gastrolobium revolutum Crisp
  • Gastrolobium scorsifolium F.Muell.
  • Gastrolobium splendens Heynh.
  • Gastrolobium velutinum Lindl. ex J. Paxton
  • Gastrolobium verticillatum Heynh.
  • Gastrolobium whicherense G.Chandler & Crisp
  • Gastrolobium wonganense G.Chandler & Crisp