One of my favourite ways to get around Alice Springs is on
my bicycle – I enjoy the rhythm of cycling while having an opportunity to
notice more of what Alice has to offer.
We are just getting towards the end of the vibrant red displays of Sturt’s
Desert Pea on the nature strips, on the islands on the road, and in
gardens. Even though I know where it is
now, somehow the colour, so different from any of the other plants and natural features,
still surprises me as I round a corner or ride down a street from a different
direction. Some displays are quite
small, but there are several large areas which fascinate me – they seem almost
over indulgent, as if the plant just had to burst out in a joyous profusion of
colour.
The flower is named Swainsona Formosa after an English
botanist, Isaac Swainson. ‘Formosa’
means ‘beautiful’ – aptly named. It only
occurs naturally in arid areas of Australia, and is the South Australian floral
emblem.
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