SPECIES: lmaleea cambagei — Torrington Pea
CLASSIFICATION: Endangered
Bold, bright, and tougher than it looks, the Torrington Pea, is a splash of sunset colour in northern NSW’s granite country. Its vivid orange-yellow pea flowers flare against rugged outcrops and heathlands, drawing the eye even in wind-scoured, nutrient-poor soils. This compact shrub is a true specialist of the Torrington area, clinging to skeletal granite sands where few others dare to grow. When it blooms, it transforms the landscape with a quiet brilliance that feels almost defiant.
With an already tiny distribution, the Torrington Pea is highly vulnerable to inappropriate fire regimes, mining pressures, invasive species and the ongoing decline of its fragile heathland habitat. Because it relies on particular soil conditions and fire intervals to regenerate, even small disruptions can unravel decades of slow growth.
Photo: Gavin Phillips