Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Occurs in south-western W.A. from near Bindoon S to near Mt Barker, Bremer Bay and Fitzgerald R. Natl Park, and extending inland to near Newdegate; one collection from Gairdner Ra. area, c. 150 km N of Bindoon.

Description

Erect or sometimes trailing multistemmed subshrub 0.15–0.6 m high, sometimes rhizomatous, glabrous. Stems frequently flexuose, terete, obscurely nerved, green to glaucous. Phyllodes resembling stems, distant, ±sessile, ascending to erect, terete, 2–7 cm long, 1–2 mm wide, sometimes uncinate, 4-nerved but nerves not or scarcely evident. Inflorescences 2–4-headed racemes; raceme axes short, enclosed when young by conspicuous imbricate bracts; peduncles 7–13 mm long; heads globular, 6–11-flowered, golden; bracteoles absent. Sepals united, minute, membranous, repand; petals absent. Pods linear to narrowly oblong, to c. 8 cm long, 4–5 mm wide, crustaceous; margins thick. Seeds longitudinal, oblong, c. 4 mm long, dull to slightly shiny, brown (? or black); aril terminal.

Habitat

Commonly grows on laterite or lateritic sand or loam, in Eucalyptus woodland, scrub or heath; sometimes in rocky, sandy clay in open Wandoo (Eucalyptus wandoo) woodland.

Specimens

W.A.: Two Bump Hill, Fitzgerald R. Natl Park, J.M.Fox 86/95 (CANB); Clackline Nature Reserve, G.J.Keighery 3979 (PERTH); Gairdner Ra., D.Lievense, July 1980 (PERTH); 27.5 km N of Kojonup on Albany Hwy, B.R.Maslin 2616 (CANB, PERTH); 17 km E of Newdegate towards Lake King, B.R.Maslin 3433 (PERTH).

Notes

Remarkable in that petals are absent. Probably related to A. flagelliformis which is distinguished by its quadrangular to flat phyllodes and 4–9-headed racemes.

FOA Reference

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

Author

B.R.Maslin