Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Restricted to a small area from Watheroo Natl Park (c. 40–60 km NW of Moora) S to Wannamal (c. 25 km due NE of Gingin), south-western W.A.

Description

Sprawling straggly rush-like subshrub to 0.4 m high. Branches terete, striate, green except for the yellow ribs, glabrous. Phyllodes reduced to continuous, thin, horizontally flattened, narrowly oblong to narrowly triangular scales 1.5–4 mm long. Inflorescences simple, 1 or 2 in axils of scales; peduncles 4–15 mm long, glabrous; heads globular, c. 8 mm diam. (when dry), somewhat loosely 8–12-flowered, bright light golden; buds obovate-apiculate, 2 mm wide. Flowers 4-merous; sepals 1/2–2/3-united, c. 1/2 length of petals; petals flabellate-striate. Pods 4–7 cm long, 8–10 mm wide, stipitate, acuminate, coriaceous-crustaceous, shallowly curved, acutely quadrangular by flat winged margins 3–4 mm wide, glabrous. Seeds presumably oblique, oblong-elliptic, 5.5 mm long; aril terminal, conical.

Habitat

Grows in sand or lateritic gravel, in closed heath or low open woodland (of Banksia prionotes and Eucalyptus todtiana) over heath.

Specimens

W.A.: NE of Badgingarra, T.E.H.Aplin 3150 (CANB, PERTH); 4 km from Brand Hwy on West Wannamal Rd, R.J.Cumming 715 (K, PERTH).

Notes

Until now this species was confounded with A. volubilis (fide B.R.Maslin, Nuytsia 10: 176 (1995)). It is most closely related to A. tetragonocarpa and A. aemula and specimens with short peduncles can be mistaken for A. carens.

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