Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Occurring in N.S.W. from near Numeralla, E of Cooma, along the eastern watershed of the southern tablelands to the vicinity of the Shoalhaven R. east of Lake Bathurst.

Description

Bushy shrub, usually less than 1 (–1.8) m high, with (5 or) 6 or more primary branches diverging at ground level; branches erect. Branchlets terete, ribbed, brown-green to brown, sometimes minutely tuberculate, densely yellow to golden hairy. Phyllodes with lamina coplanar with branchlet or rotated to 30º–45º (–60º) from branchlet, mostly convex, elliptic to broadly elliptic to occasionally ovate-elliptic, 8–12 (–20) mm long, 4–7 (–12) mm wide, l:w = (1.4–) 1.7 (–2), dull, green to grey-green, minutely tuberculate, moderately hairy; base slightly oblique, slightly asymmetric, obtuse or sometimes acute; margin flat and yellow-green; apex acute, mucronate; gland mostly at or up to 1 mm above base or occasionally absent, with distinct rim. Inflorescences 1 in axil of mostly ±reduced phyllodes; peduncles ascending, 7–11 (–16) mm long, slightly longer than floral phyllodes, slightly ribbed, pale yellow hairy; heads 6–7 mm diam., 18–26 (–30)-flowered, pale yellow to cream-coloured. Corolla lobes c. 1/2 length of tube; apices moderately hairy. Pods oblong, usually gently curved, 50–80 mm long, 12–17 mm wide, coriaceous, dull, light brown to brown; margin flat. Seeds transverse.

Habitat

It grows mostly on stony clays in Eucalyptus pauciflora and E. rossii woodlands, often on ridge crests and steep valley sides.

Specimens

N.S.W.: 9 km W of Nerriga, Shoalhaven R., L.G.Adams 2716 (NSW); 1 km W of Numeralla, on road to Cooma, B.J.Conn 3836 (NSW); 15.2 km E of Monaro Hwy, towards Numeralla, T.M.Tame 4056 (NSW); McNally Ra., M.D.Tindale 4024 (BRI, CANB, K, MEL, MO, NSW); W of Henrys Point, upstream from Shoalhaven and Endrick Rivers, T.M.Whaite 3180 (NSW).

Notes

This species is similar to A. uncinata but differs in its lower and much-branched bushy habit and smaller elliptic phyllodes, to 20 mm long. The phyllodes of A. uncinata are 17–45 mm long and narrowly elliptic to obovate. The inflorescences of the latter species frequently lack floral phyllodes (hence racemes to 60 mm long), whereas the inflorescences of A. aureocrinita are either phyllodinous with floral phyllodes present or, if floral phyllodes are absent, then the racemes are never longer than 15 mm.

The branchlet hairs are dense, patent to occasionally slightly inclined, bent or occasionally straight, 0.3–0.5 mm long, and yellow to deep yellow (golden) becoming dark with age. Phyllode hairs are patent and pale yellow to straw-coloured. Inflorescence hairs are inclined to patent, 0.3–0.4 mm long and pale yellow. The corolla lobe apices have hairs 0.2–0.4 mm long.

FOA Reference

Data derived from Flora of Australia Volumes 11A (2001), 11B (2001) and 12 (1998), products of ABRS, ©Commonwealth of Australia

Author

Minor edits by B.R.Maslin

B.J.Conn, T.M.Tame