Common Name

Peak Charles Wattle

Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Restricted to Peak Charles Natl Park (c. 100 km SW of Norseman), south-western W.A.

Description

Shrub 0.6–4 m high, rounded. Branchlets glabrous or glabrescent. Phyllodes ascending to erect, narrowly elliptic, ±incurved, 4–7 cm long, 3–4.5 mm wide, acute, sharply to coarsely pungent, semi-rigid, at first ±appressed-puberulous on central nerve and marginal nerves (sometimes persistent on central nerve), with 3 distant raised nerves; central nerve more strongly raised and the marginal nerves thickened. Inflorescences simple, 2 per axil; peduncles 1–3 mm long, puberulous; spikes 15–25 mm long, 3–4.5 mm diam., subdensely flowered, cream. Flowers 4-merous; sepals free; petals partly united. Pods pendent, linear, strongly raised over and slightly constricted between seeds, curved, to 10.5 cm long, 4 mm wide, thin-coriaceous, glabrous. Seeds longitudinal, broadly elliptic, 3–4 mm long, subglossy, black; areole c. 1/3 seed length; funicle/aril apical.

Habitat

Grows on lower granitic mountain slopes and sandy clay flats, locally frequent in patches in heath.

Specimens

W.A.: Peak Charles, K.Newbey 6310 (CANB, PERTH).

Notes

Related to the dissimilar-looking A. gibsonii. Similar in overall appearance to the southern element of the typical subspecies of A. neurophylla which differs by its 5-7-nerved phyllodes, densely flowered, golden spikes and free petals.

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