Pultenaea mollis, commonly known as soft bush-pea or guinea flower bush pea, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is an erect or spreading shrub with narrow linear to elliptic or needle-shaped leaves and clusters of up to ten yellow to orange flowers with red markings.

Description
Pultenaea mollis is an erect or spreading shrub that typically grows to a height of up to  with stems covered with twisted or curled hairs. The leaves are arranged alternately, narrow linear to elliptic or needle-shaped,  long and  wide with the edges rolled inwards and the lower surface hairy. There are stipules  long with their eges rolled under, at the base of the leaves. The flowers are arranged in leafy clusters of four to ten near the ends of short side branches, each flower  long on pedicels  long with bracts up to  long. The sepals are  long with egg-shaped bracteoles  long attached at the base of the sepal tube. The standard petal and wings are yellow with red markings and the keel is red. Flowering occurs from spring to summer and the fruit is an egg-shaped pod  long.<ref name="lucid">{{cite web |last1=Wood |first1=Betty |title=Pultenaea |url=https://apps.lucidcentral.org/plants_se_nsw/text/entities/pultenaea_mollis.htm |publisher=Lucid Keys |access-date=30 July 2021}}</ref>

TaxonomyPultenaea mollis was first formally described in 1838 by John Lindley in Thomas Mitchell's journal, Three Expeditions into the interior of Eastern Australia. The specific epithet (mollis) means "soft".

Distribution and habitat
Soft bush-pea grows in forest, sometimes in heathland, and occurs in coastal areas south from Gosford in New South Wales to the southern half of Victoria where it is widespread and locally common. The species also occurs in the north-east of Tasmania.

Conservation statusPultenaea mollis is classified as "vulnerable" under the Tasmanian Government Threatened Species Protection Act 1995''.

References

mollis
Fabales of Australia
Flora of New South Wales
Flora of Victoria (Australia)
Flora of Tasmania
Taxa named by John Lindley
Plants described in 1838