Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Occurs in the Marvel Loch–Parker Ra. area (SSE of Southern Cross) and at Karlgarin (c. 135 km due SW of Marvel Loch), south-western W.A.

Description

Harsh intricate sprawling or compact subshrub to 0.4 m high. Branchlets variably scabridulous, green, finely yellow-ribbed. Stipules spinose, 2 mm long, straight, thickened at base. Phyllodes distant, sessile, normally patent, oblong to narrowly oblong, flat but thick, sometimes drying ±quadrangular, 4–10 mm long, 1.5–2 mm wide, pungent, rigid, with colour and indumentum as on branchlets, 5-nerved, with the 2-nerved adaxial margin 0.5–0.8 mm wide; midrib prominently raised when dry. Inflorescences rudimentary 2-headed racemes with axes > 0.5 mm long; peduncles 1.5–3 mm long, glabrous, recurved in fruit; heads globular, small, 7–8-flowered, golden. Flowers 5-merous; sepals free. Pods narrowly oblong, variably curved, to 5 cm long, 4–5 mm wide, thinly coriaceous to ±crustaceous, glabrous. Seeds oblique, ±irregularly ovate-elliptic, 2.5–3 mm long, somewhat shiny, dark brown; aril 1/2 or more length of seed.

Habitat

Grows in sometimes rocky clay or loam, in Eucalyptus woodland or mallee shrubland.

Specimens

W.A.: c. 1 km W of Marvel Loch town centre, R.J.Cumming 2396 (BM, PERTH); Parker Ra., A.S.George 9434 (CANB, PERTH); Karlgarin, 16 km by road SW of Hyden, B.R.Maslin 5773 (MEXU, PERTH).

Notes

Related to A. inamabilis which is readily distinguished by its glabrous, finely yellow-ribbed branchlets, larger phyllodes, c. 25-flowered heads, united sepals and long pods; see B.R.Maslin, Nuytsia 12: 334 (1999), for further discussion.

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