Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Discontinuous in the south-western arid zone, occurring near Meekatharra, in the Mt Gibson–Mullewa–Mt Magnet area, and the Rutters Soak–Rason Lake area of the Great Victoria Desert, W.A.

Description

Fastigiate glabrous shrub 2–3 m high. Ultimate branchlets ascending to erect, rather straight and sparingly divided, terete, finely striate, ash-grey with an often flaking cuticle, pale green when young, coarsely spinose. Phyllodes inconspicuous, sparse, erect, frequently shed (especially upon collection), terete, 8–18 mm long, 1 mm wide, narrowed at base, acute, scarcely pungent, 4-nerved. Inflorescences rudimentary normally 1-headed racemes with axes to c. 1 mm long; peduncles 5–10 mm long, often growing out at anthesis; heads globular, 28–35-flowered, golden; buds sometimes obloid. Flowers 5-merous; sepals variably united from near the base to c. 1/2-united, the lobes oblong to narrowly oblong. Pods submoniliform, to 15 cm long, 5–7 mm wide, thinly coriaceous, dark brown. Seeds longitudinal, ovate, sometimes oblong, 4–6 mm long, shiny, dark brown to blackish; aril dull yellow, waxy, as long as seed.

Habitat

Grows in rocky clayey loam, commonly in mulga (‘A. aneura group’) communities.

Specimens

W.A.: Meekatharra Airport, A.M.Ashby 4223 (BRI, CANB, PERTH); near Wurarga at Mullewa-Yalgoo Shire boundary, A.M.Ashby 5160 (BRI, MEL, NSW, PERTH); Mt Gibson, D.G.Fell 0226 (NSW, PERTH); 17 miles [27.2 km]E of Rutters Soak, A.S.George 4628 (PERTH); Great Victoria Desert, c. 34 km due SSE of SE end of Rason Lake, B.R.Maslin 5719 (PERTH).

Notes

Superficially resembling A. deficiens and A. microcalyx, especially in its terete branchlets and few phyllodes. Also similar to A. wilcoxii.

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

Minor edits by B.R.Maslin