Kennedia prostrata

Kennedia prostrata, commonly known as running postman, scarlet coral pea or scarlet runner, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to Australia. It is a prostrate or twining shrub with trifoliate leaves and, usually, red flowers.

Description

Kennedia prostrata is a prostrate or twining shrub with wiry stems up to long that are hairy when young. The leaves are on a petiole vary from long, with more or less round leaflets, which are from long and wide with wavy edges. The end leaflet on a petiolule is from long, but the side leaflets more or less sessile. There is a heart-shaped stipule about long at the base of the petiole.
The flowers are borne singly or in pairs on a peduncle from long, with bracts from long at the base, the individual flowers on pedicels being from long. The five sepals are hairy, from in length, and the petals are usually scarlet, rarely white. The standard petal is from long, the wings from long, and the keel from long. Flowering occurs from April to November, and the fruit is a flattened cylindrical pod from in length.

Taxonomy

Kennedia prostrata was first formally described by Robert Brown in 1812 in Hortus Kewensis. The specific epithet means "prostrate".

Distribution and habitat

Running postman occurs in all Australian states and territories, except Queensland and the Northern Territory, and grows in a variety of habitats, often on coastal sand dunes and on rock outcrops.

Use in horticulture

The species is naturally adapted to sandy or lighter soils and prefers a sunny position. A widely cultivated species, it grows in temperate to subtropical areas and is hardy in most situations.