Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Confined to the Caiguna–Eyre–Cocklebiddy area of W.A., except for one collection from near Israelite Bay, c. 200 km due SW of Caiguna.

Description

Spreading, domed or ±straggly shrub 0.5–1.5 m high. Branchlets glabrous, roughened by bark breaking into irregular or rectangular flakes. Phyllodes ascending to erect, obovate to oblanceolate, flat, 5–10 mm long, 1–2.5 mm wide, rounded-obtuse, thick and subfleshy, drying rugulose, glabrous; abaxial margin 1-nerved; other nerves obscure; gland inconspicuous, 2–4.5 mm above base. Inflorescences simple, 1 or 2 per axil; peduncles 4–6 (–8) mm long, glabrous; heads globular, 3–3.5 mm diam., 9–11-flowered, light golden. Flowers 5-merous; sepals free, broadly spathulate. Pods (dehisced valves) linear, not or slightly constricted between seeds, to 4 cm long, 2.5–3.5 mm wide, chartaceous, dark red-brown, glabrous. Seeds (immature) longitudinal.

Habitat

Grows in calcareous sand, loamy sand or clay loam over limestone pavement at shallow depth, in open shrub or tree mallee.

Specimens

W.A.: 9 km S of Cocklebiddy, A.S.George 11838 (AD, BRI, PERTH); 36 km SE of Mt Ragged [near Israelite Bay], A.S.George 16027 (PERTH); 12 km NNW of Eyre, S.D.Hopper 3017 (K, MEL, PERTH).

Notes

Possibly related to A. profusa which lacks bracteoles and has its seeds transversely arranged in the pods, as well as having linear phyllodes.

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

Minor edits by J.Rogers