Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Known only from Jingemia Hill and the vicinity of the type locality, c. 25 km S of Jingemia Hill, south-western W.A.

Description

Shrub to 1 m high. Branches white-waxy, short-pilose to antrorsely pubescent. Stipules prominent, 2–3 mm long, acuminate, united at base, scarious, light brown. Phyllodes erect, obliquely narrowly oblong-oblanceolate to cuneate, (5–) 7–10 mm long, 2–3.5 mm wide, excentrically rostriform, ±uncinate, thin, green, glabrous to pubescent; midrib central; lateral nerves few and obscure. Inflorescences normally 1-headed racemes with axes < 0.5 mm long; peduncles 10–20 mm long, slender, short-pilose to pubescent, recurved from base in fruit; heads globular, 5–6 mm diam., 13–17-flowered, creamy white; bracteoles long-acuminate, 2–3 mm long, exserted in buds. Flowers 5-merous; sepals 1/4–1/2-united; petals pubescent or sparsely hirsutellous. Pods moniliform, loosely once-coiled to irregularly twisted, to 6 cm long, 4–5 mm wide, coriaceous to thinly crustaceous, glabrous or sparsely hirsutellous. Seeds longitudinal, elliptic, 3.5–4 mm long, shiny, grey except for blackish areole and peripheral nerve, arillate.

Habitat

Restricted to low, chert hills in loamy or clayey sand, in low open shrubland.

Specimens

W.A.: Jingemia Hill, Watheroo Natl Park, P.Hussey 81 (PERTH); 15 km N of Moora, D.J.E.Whibley 4882 (PERTH).

Notes

Similar in several respects to A. bidentata which is most readily distinguished by its obovate to obtriangular-obdeltate phyllodes, caducous or inconspicuous stipules and non-acuminate bracteoles. Superficially similar to A. rostellata which has often more or less pungent branchlets, obtriangular to obdeltate, more or less pungently mucronate phyllodes, shorter peduncles, smaller flower-heads lacking bracteoles and black, rugulose seeds.

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