Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Occurs in north-western W.A., W of 129ºE and N of 15ºS, and in north-western N.T.

Description

Shrub or tree to 7 m high, weeping, pubescent. Bark fissured, grey. Branchlets terete, light to dark brown, woolly. Phyllodes crowded, erect, linear or very narrowly lanceolate, straight or slightly curved, 1–2.5 cm long, 0.7–2.5 mm wide, setose mucro 1–2 mm long, pilose; nerves obscure, numerous, closely parallel, 5–7 per mm, rarely anastomosing, sometimes with a slightly off-centre semiprominent midnerve; gland 1, 2–4 mm above pulvinus. Inflorescences simple; peduncles (4–) 7–12 (–20) mm long. Spikes 1.3–4.5 cm long, dense, deep yellow. Flowers 5-merous; sepals almost free, cupulate towards apex, ±narrowly oblong, pubescent or glabrous; corolla 1.3–1.6 mm long, dissected to c. 1/2, pubescent or glabrous. Pods submoniliform, ±terete, to c. 11 cm long, 3–5 mm wide, coriaceous, red-brown, longitudinally striate, glabrous, rarely puberulous, resin-encrusted; margins not thickened. Seeds longitudinal, 4.5–6 mm long, shiny, dark brown to black; pleurogram pale; areole open, light brown; aril terminal.

Phenology

Flowers Mar.–Aug.

Habitat

Usually associated with sandstone, often on escarpments or ridges.

Specimens

W.A.: Solea Fall, Drysdale R. Natl Park, A.S.George 13417 (CANB, PERTH); Drysdale R., above Mogurnda Ck, Drysdale R. Natl Park, A.S.George 13455 (CANB, PERTH); upper Moran R., C.A.Gardner 1449 (NSW, PERTH). N.T.: lower part of Victoria R., R.J.Winters 16 (NSW).

Notes

The relationships with its closest allies, A. dacrydioides, A. chrysochaeta and a possible new taxon with affinity to A. kelleri (now described as A. willingii), are provided by B.R.Maslin, Nuytsia 4: 369–370 (1983) and M.A.Lewington & B.R.Maslin, Nuytsia 19: 73–74 (2009).

FOA Reference

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

Author

Dr M.D.Tindale and Dr P.G.Kodela with the assistance of M.Bedward, S.J.Davies, C.Herscovitch, D.A.Keith and/or D.A.Morrison

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