Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Occurs in N.S.W. from Yerranderie S to Goulburn, as far E as Nowra on coast.

Description

Spreading, slender or straggling shrub 0.4–4 m high, often reproducing by suckering. Bark smooth, brown, green or grey to black, often mottled. Branchlets terete, with minute grey or fawn velvety hairs or glabrous; ridges 0.1–0.2 mm high. Young foliage-tips fawn or light brown. Leaves subsessile with basal pinnae arising immediately or rarely to 1 mm above pulvinus; rachis 1–5.5 (–7.5) cm long, with 1 minute, orbicular, hairy or glabrous gland at base of all or most pairs of pinnae except basal pinnae, interjugary glands absent; pinnae 2–11 pairs, decreasing in size towards leaf base, 0.5–4 cm long; pinnules dark green, very slightly paler beneath when fresh, in 4–21 pairs, narrowly oblanceolate or narrowly oblong, 2.5–6 mm long, 0.8–1.8 mm wide, with numerous distinct stomata, often incurved when dry, with midnerve closer to upper margin and 1 or 2 shorter nerves from base, glabrous or puberulous mainly on margins, acute and ±reflexed apically. Inflorescences mainly in axillary racemes, sometimes in terminal false-panicles, with axes ±flexuose, usually greatly exceeding the leaves; peduncles 1–6 mm long, normally glabrous. Heads 8–15-flowered, dark yellow, rarely paler; buds with spreading flowers. Pods ±straight-sided or slightly constricted between some seeds, 2–8 cm long, 5.5–8 mm wide, ±thin, black or dark brown, sparsely to moderately hairy with minute, erect, fawn, grey or whitish hairs.

Phenology

Flowers July.–Oct.; fruits Oct.–Feb., rarely July.

Habitat

Grows in open forest or woodland or in exposed situations on dry stony ridges, on sandstone or Permian sedimentaries, in sandy or clayey soil.

Specimens

N.S.W.: Yerranderie, R.H.Cambage 3126 (NSW); Scotts Main Ra., R.Coveny s.n. (NSW97229, PERTH); Shoalhaven City, c. 8 km SW of Kangaroo Valley, K.Egerod 87357 (NSW); S of Mt Moolattoo, 9 miles[14.5 km] W of Barrengarry, Kangaroo Valley, L.A.S.Johnson (NSW65853).

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 B.R.Maslin & J.Reid

M.D.Tindale, P.G.Kodela