Andy Roo's Fun Facts - Sturt Desert Pea

Sturt Desert Pea

Emerging from the harsh environment of desert sands, Sturt Desert Peas' add vibrant reds to an already colourful landscape. Aboriginal dreamtime story of the Pea; a beautiful young maiden was promised to a young warrior who gave her a cloak of red parrot feathers. She roamed the arid lands with her warrior and tribe. When drought hit her warrior was sent afar to search for food. He didn’t return, the tribe moved on, she remained for her warrior. The last view by the tribe was her surrounded by her red cloak surrounding her black head as she knelt on the ground waiting for his return. In 1961 the Pea was adopted as South Australia’s native floral emblem that was named after explorer Captain Charles Sturt, who in the early 1840’s explored remote regions of South and Central Australia.