Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Extends from near Cleary S to Pingrup and E to near Coolgardie and Scadden, south-western W.A., with two outlying populations, each represented by a single collection; one from near Mingenew, the other from Ponton Ck near Cundeelee.

Description

Much-branched shrub to 3.5 m high. Branchlets and phyllodes glabrous. Phyllodes patent to erect, linear, infrequently narrowly oblanceolate, straight or shallowly incurved, (2.5–) 4–13 (–15) cm long, 1–5.5 mm wide, commonly acuminate, uncinate to subuncinate, green or subglaucous; midrib scarcely raised; lateral nerves fine or absent; gland 1 or occasionally 2, with the lowermost 1–3 cm above pulvinus. Inflorescences 3–10-headed racemes; raceme axes 4–20 mm long, appressed-puberulous with hairs light golden, becoming white and sparse by fruiting; peduncles 2–4 mm long; heads globular, 2–3 mm diam., 15–25-flowered, light golden; bracteoles golden-fimbriate. Flowers 5-merous; sepals free or united. Pods linear, variably constricted between seeds, to 10 cm long, 5–6 mm wide, thinly crustaceous, glabrous. Seeds longitudinal, oblong or elliptic, 4–6 mm long, dull, black; funicle 1/2 to wholly encircling seed in a single fold, light brown or red-brown; aril thick.

Phenology

Flowers Dec.–Aug.

Habitat

Grows in sand, sandy loam, loam and clay, mostly on flatlands and in open eucalypt woodland.

Notes

The second variant has phyllodes that are often spreading widely, often narrowly oblanceolate, straight to shallowly recurved, 4–9 cm long, 2.5–5.5 mm wide, frequently subglaucous. The sepals are free. This variant is similar to A. leptopetala which has glabrous racemes and peduncles with larger heads and more flowers per head, and to A. jennerae which has wider phyllodes, sepals that are not free and a generally shorter funicle. This second variant occurs principally in the area from near Scaddan to N of Norseman, but with scattered occurrences W to near Southern Cross, W.A.

W.A.: c. 9.6 km W of Holt Rock on the road to Hyden, B.R.Maslin 563 (CANB, K, MEL, PERTH); 0.5 km W of Yelbeni, B.R.Maslin 4153 (PERTH); 2 km W of Wyalkatchem on road to Dowerin, B.R.Maslin 6008 (PERTH).

W.A.: Frank Hann Natl Park, D.Butcher 315 (CANB, K, NSW, PERTH); Ponton Ck on road from Zanthus to Cundeelee, A.S.George 5959 (MEL, PERTH); 49 km W of Coolgardie on Great Eastern Hwy, B.R.Maslin 4821 (MEL, PERTH); 62 km NE of Ravensthorpe, K.Newbey 9723 (MO, PERTH); 3 km E of Wyalkatchem, M.D.Tindale 101 & E.M.Bennett (NSW, PERTH).

The third variant has phyllodes that are often patent, occasionally shallowly recurved/sigmoid, mostly 5–7 cm long and 1.5–3 mm wide. It is distinguished from the Kalannie–Wubin variant of A. brumalis by shorter, narrower phyllodes. It occurs from near Wyalkatchem SSE to near Holt Rock, W.A.

Somewhat polymorphic with three main variants recognised. The typical variant (sometimes confused with A. aestivalis) has phyllodes that are ascending to erect, linear, straight to shallowly incurved, 6–13 cm long, 1–5.5 mm wide, green. The calyx is usually united but readily splitting into oblong-spathulate sepals upon dissection. This variant is widespread from near Mingenew, S to NE of Ravensthorpe and E to Ponton Ck near Cundeelee Mission.

A member of the ‘A. microbotrya group’, most closely allied to A. aestivalis, A. brumalis and A. harveyi but distinguished by a combination of its narrow, usually shallowly incurved phyllodes, by its gland position, light golden flower-heads, golden-fimbriate bracteoles and narrow pods which are variably constricted between the seeds.

W.A.: 30.5 km N of Norseman towards Coolgardie, B.R.Maslin 2441 (AD, G, PERTH); Salmon Gums, B.R.Maslin 5526 (CANB, MO, NY, PERTH): 6 km S of Scaddan towards Esperance, B.R.Maslin 5539 (PERTH); 41.6 km S of Karalee, E of Southern Cross, R.D.Royce 8571 (PERTH).

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