Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Sporadic from Boddington S to Mount Barker, W.A.

Description

Subshrub normally 0.3–0.5 m high, spreading by subterranean runners. Branchlets hirsutellous to puberulous with patent straight and often tubercle-based hairs, sometimes additionally pilose, rarely glabrous (the type). Distal pinnae 4–25 mm long; pinnules 2–9 pairs on distal pinnae, 2–6 mm long, 1–3 mm wide, flat or recurved, slightly thickened, hirsutellous at least on margins, occasionally glabrous. Flower-heads light golden. Flower buds subacute.

Habitat

Grows in lateritic gravel (sometimes overlain with shallow sand or loam), usually in Jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) forest, occasionally in shrubland.

Specimens

W.A.: N of Quarderwardup Lake, Stirling Ra., G.J.Keighery 4920 (PERTH); 19.2 km E of Collie towards Darkin, B.R.Maslin 4 (PERTH) and 3202 (PERTH); 6.4 km N of Quindanning towards Boddington, B.R.Maslin 665 (MEL, PERTH); 3 km W of Mount Barker, A.Strid 20383 (C, CANB, G, K, MEL, NY, PERTH).

Notes

Sometimes confused with var. intermedia but distinguished primarily by its lower stature, distal pinnae commonly longer, lower surface of pinnules glabrous or at most besprinkled with hairs, and petals not prominently incurved at apices so unexpanded buds are not ±truncate. A few specimens from the Stirling Ra. may be hybrids between the two.

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