{{Speciesbox | name = Sturt's desert pea | image = Sturts desert pea.jpg | image_caption = Sturt's desert pea, at Melbourne Zoo | genus = Swainsona | species = formosa | authority = (G. Don) Joy Thomps. | synonyms = Clianthus dampieri <small>Lindl.</small> Clianthus formosus (G.Don) Ford & Vickery Clianthus oxleyi A.Cunn. ex Lindl. Clianthus speciosus (G.Don) Asch. & Graebn. Colutea novae-hollandiae Walp. Donia formosa G.Don Donia speciosa G.Don Willdampia formosa (G.Don) A.S.George | synonyms_ref = }}Swainsona formosa, Sturt's desert pea, is an Australian plant in the genus Swainsona, named after English botanist Isaac Swainson, famous for its distinctive blood-red leaf-like flowers, each with a bulbous black centre, or "boss". It is one of Australia's best known wildflowers. It is native to the arid regions of central and north-western Australia, and its range extends into all mainland Australian states with the exception of Victoria. Description Sturt's desert pea is a member of Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae. It has pinnate, grey-green leaves which are arranged spirally on the main axis of the plant, and in two opposite rows (distichous) on lateral stems. Flower Its flowers are so different from its relatives that it is almost unrecognisable as a member of the pea family. The flowers are about 9 centimetres in length and grow in clusters of around half a dozen on thick vertical stalks (peduncles), which spring up every 10-15 centimetres along the prostrate stems in a bright red, which may be up to 2 metres in length. The sexual organs, enclosed by the keel, comprise 10 stamens, of which 9 are joined and 1 is free, and an ovary topped by a style upon which is located the stigma which receives pollen during fertilisation. The plant flowers from spring to summer, particularly after rain. There is a natural pure white form, as well as varieties which can have flowers ranging from blood scarlet, to pink and even pale cream, with central bosses of white, pink, light red, dark red and purple. Several tricolour variants have been recorded, including the cultivars marginata (white keel with red margin, red flag and purple-black boss), tricolour (white keel, red flag, pink boss), and elegans (white flag and keel, both with red margins). Flowers are bird-pollinated in the wild. Fruit The fruit is a legume, about 5 centimetres long, and each yields 50 or more flat, kidney-shaped seeds at maturity. Taxonomy and naming Specimens of Sturt's