Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Widespread but disjunct, occurring from Kalannie (c. 45 km E of Dalwallinu) SE to Frank Hann Natl Park and further inland at Comet Vale (c. 100 km NNW of Kalgoorlie), Bandya Stn (c. 120 km N of Laverton) and Queen Victoria Springs Nature Reserve area, southern W.A.

Description

Shrub 0.5-3 m high, dense. Phyllodes angular-rhombic in section, 4-7 (-12) cm long, 1-1.7 mm wide, sericeous generally or only between nerves (oldest phyllodes sometimes glabrous); nerve at apex of each angle prominent and clearly wider than the 3 intervening secondary nerves. Peduncles 3-6 mm long, sericeous with red resin-hairs variously intermixed; flower-heads globular to widely ellipsoid, 5-8 mm long, 5-7 mm diam. Pods to 8.5 cm long, 2-2.5 mm wide; margins narrower than valve width. Seeds narrowly oblong to narrowly elliptic, 3.5-4.5 mm long, grey-brown or yellow-brown with darker brown mottlings.

Habitat

Western populations grow in yellow sand and gravelly sand, in scrub, heath, open shrubland and woodland; eastern populations grow in red and yellow sand, on plains and dunes, in open mallee (Eucalyptus sp.) and Spinifex (Triodia sp.) communities.

Specimens

W.A.: 4.8 km from Hines Hill towards Nungarin, B.R.Maslin 2341 (AD, BRI, CANB, DNA, HO, K, MEL, NSW, PERTH); Queen Victoria Spring Nature Reserve, D.J.Pearson 121 (PERTH); Frank Hann Natl Park, R.D.Royce 10210 (B, PERTH); 30 km NE of Bandya HS, c. 120 km N of Laverton, P.G.Wilson 7352 (BRI, PERTH).

Notes

A number of collections from Queen Victoria Spring Nature Reserve appear to combine characters of A. heteroneura var. jutsonii and A. desertorum var. desertorum, e.g. A.S.Weston 14880 (PERTH, Z). Further studies of these populations are needed in order to ascertain their taxonomic status.

FOA Reference

Data derived from Flora of Australia Volumes 11A (2001), 11B (2001) and 12 (1998), products of ABRS, ©Commonwealth of Australia

Author

R.S.Cowan

Minor edits by B.R.Maslin & J.Reid