Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Occurs from Ravensthorpe to S of Kundip and E to Munglinup, and in the Scaddan–Wittenoom Hills area, W.A.

Description

Harsh much-branched shrub to 1.5 m high. Branchlets densely puberulous. Stipules caducous or persistent, scarious. Phyllodes ±crowded, sessile to subsessile, scimitar-shaped, strongly recurved, (5–) 10–20 mm long, 1–3 mm wide, pungent, rigid, glabrous, with 3 prominent distant main nerves. Inflorescences simple, commonly 1 per axil; peduncles 5–9 mm long, glabrous; basal bract 1–1.5 mm long, brown; heads globular, 3–3.5 mm diam., 13–25-flowered, golden; bracteoles minute. Flowers 5-merous; sepals free. Pods linear, raised over seeds, strongly curved, to 5 cm long, 4–4.5 mm wide, firmly chartaceous to thinly coriaceous-crustaceous, glabrous. Seeds longitudinal, nearly round to subquadrate, turgid, c. 2.5 mm long and wide, slightly shiny, dark brown; aril subapical.

Habitat

Grows in clay, clay loam or lateritic gravel, mostly in open scrub.

Specimens

W.A.: Wittenoom Hills, T.Daniells s.n. (PERTH00713465); S of Ravensthorpe, A.S.George 4422 (MEL, PERTH); c. 20 km SW of Scaddan, B.R.Maslin 2527 (PERTH); Munglinup area, B.R.Maslin 4482 (PERTH).

Notes

Related to A. campylophylla which has branchlets glabrous, stipules ±spinose, phyllodes ±continuous with the branchlets, bracteoles spathulate, acuminate and strongly exserted in buds, and pods straight. Perhaps with affinities to A. acellerata.

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.Reid

R.S.Cowan, B.R.Maslin