Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Occurs from near the Murchison R. N to Shark Bay, also near Cape Cuvier, W.A.

Description

Glabrous shrub or tree 1.5–4 (-6) m high. Branches and branchlets pruinose. Stipules spinose, frequently absent on mature plants, 3–6 mm long, robust. Phyllodes somewhat asymmetric, ±ovate to elliptic or narrowly elliptic, (2–) 2.5–5.5 (–6.5) cm long, (0.7–) 1–2.5 (–3.3) cm wide, rounded-obtuse, retuse to subretuse, coriaceous, green, with prominent midrib, obscurely penninerved; basal gland 0–2 mm above pulvinus and 0.5–1 mm long, and an insignificant gland also near mucro. Inflorescences racemose in upper axils, infrequently simple; raceme axes (1–) 3–8 (–14) cm long; peduncles twinned, 8–15 mm long, robust, with a normally caducous bract near apex; heads globular, densely 60–90-flowered, cream to pale lemon yellow; bracteoles absent. Flowers 5-merous; sepals free, narrowly spathulate. Pods narrowly oblong, to 5 cm long, 8–12 mm wide, chartaceous, light (yellowish) brown. Seeds transverse, elliptic, 3 mm long; aril small.

Habitat

Grows in sand or sandy clay in tall dense shrubland or, at Cape Cuvier, in alkaline sand in Triodia-shrub steppe.

Specimens

W.A.: 48 km N of Murchison R., North West Coastal Hwy, A.M.Ashby 4495 (CANB, NSW, PERTH); Cooloomia Nature Reserve, c. 13 km W of Cooloomia HS, S.D.Hopper 1396 (PERTH); 10 km from Lake McLeod mine site along salt haul road, 31 Feb. 1982, J.Tyler s.n. (PERTH).

Notes

Distinguished from other members of the ‘A. victoriae group’ by a combination of its broad, retuse to subretuse phyllodes, and predominantly racemose inflorescences with pale-coloured heads of 60–90 flowers. At Cape Cuvier it grows near A. ryaniana, the only prostrate member of the group. These two species are unusual in having a minute second gland, flanked by a pair of stipule-like appendages, located near the apical mucro.

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