Hovea heterophylla

Hovea heterophylla, commonly known as common hovea or variable hovea, is a small perennial subshrub in the family Fabaceae endemic to south-eastern Australia, occurring in Queensland, New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, Victoria, Tasmania, and South Australia. It typically grows 10 to 60 centimetres tall with several wiry, ascending stems arising from a slender woody rootstock. The leaves are alternate, simple, and notably variable in shape on the same plant, ranging from linear or narrow-elliptic to ovate or obovate, 1 to 6 centimetres long, with rusty-hairy undersides and revolute margins. Pea-like flowers are borne in short axillary clusters and are bright purple to mauve, about 1 centimetre across, with a conspicuous yellowish-green blotch at the base of the standard petal. Flowering occurs from late winter through spring. The fruit is a short, inflated, oblong legume 8 to 12 millimetres long containing two seeds. It inhabits dry sclerophyll forest, woodland, and heath on light soils.