Common Name

Chittering Grass Wattle

Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Restricted to a few disjunct populations in the Darling Ra. from near Chittering S to Pickering Brook, W.A.

Description

Erect rush-like subshrub, 0.2–0.45 m high, few- or several-stemmed from base, sometimes with a few bipinnate leaves persistent near base of stems. Upper stems narrowly winged and resembling A. applanata, glabrous. Phyllodes few, sometimes absent, linear to ±narrowly elliptic, (1.6–) 4–10 cm long, 2–6 (–8) mm wide, sometimes with smaller subtending inflorescences, acute to mucronate, green, glabrous; midrib central or excentric; pulvinus 0.5–1 mm long. Inflorescences simple; peduncles 1–4 mm long, glabrous; basal bracts persistent, conspicuous; spikes mostly 1–3 cm long, golden; bracteoles caducous, scarious, acuminate, dark brown, prominent in buds. Flowers mostly 5‑merous; sepals c. 1/2-united or more into an irregularly lobed calyx. Pods linear, to 5 cm long, 3–4 mm wide, crustaceous, glabrous; margins thick. Seeds longitudinal, oblong, 2.5 mm long; aril curved or once-folded.

Habitat

Confined to lateritic soils in eucalypt woodland.

Specimens

W.A.: [precise localities withheld for conservation reasons], Bullsbrook area, B.R.Maslin s.n. (PERTH); Kalamunda, S.D.Hopper 2488 (PERTH); Pickering Brook area, 26 Sept. 1989, J.L.Robson (PERTH).

Notes

Vegetatively resembling and sometimes sympatric with A. applanata which is readily distinguished by its globular flower-heads and wider pods.

Population genetic studies using isozyme techniques show that the northern populations reproduce sexually whereas the southern populations appear to be clonal, reproducing almost exclusively by root suckering, fide D.J.Coates, Austral. J. Bot. 36: 273–286 (1988).

Conservation

Gazetted a rare species in W.A.

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 J.Rogers

B.R.Maslin