Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Occurs in the Darling Downs District, Qld, and the Northern Tablelands, N.S.W.

Description

Spreading shrub 1–3 m high. Bark of single trunk smooth, grey. Branchlets terete, reddish brown, blackish or dark red, glabrous; ridges inconspicuous. Young foliage-tips of bipinnate leaves reddish or green. Leaves coriaceous, reddish; petiole above pulvinus 1–4 (–4.5) cm long, vertically flattened, bearing 1 prominent oblong gland 1/4–2/3 below lowest pair of pinnae, glabrous; rachis 1–4 cm long, eglandular or occasionally 1 small orbicular jugary gland at apex of some leaves, glabrous; pinnae 1–3 (–5) pairs, 1.5–4.5 cm long; pinnules 4–8 pairs, mostly ±oblong to narrowly oblong, (7–) 10–22 mm long, 4–8 (–10) mm wide, glabrous, with midnerve closer to upper margin (in upper c. 1/3) and 2 ±parallel minor nerves not reaching margin, with apex cordate or obtuse. Phyllodes 6–10.5 cm long, 4–7 mm wide, coriaceous, reddish; midrib acentral; apex ±acute; gland 1, large, 8–25 mm above pulvinus. Inflorescences in axillary racemes, or terminal or occasionally axillary false-panicles; peduncle 3–6 mm long. Heads 6–10 mm diam., 11–20-flowered, dark yellow. Pods 4–8.5 cm long, 6–10.5 mm wide, coriaceous to slightly woody, dark brown to black or red, glabrous; margins prominent. Seeds longitudinal.

Phenology

Flowers mainly July.–Sept.; fruits Oct.

Habitat

Grows in heath and dry sclerophyll forest, often amongst granite boulders, on mountain slopes or at their bases, in shallow sandy soil.

Specimens

Qld: Stanthorpe, July 1904, J.L.Boorman (AD, HO, L, NSW, PERTH, UC, US, Z); Amiens, 30 Aug. 1967, J.Galbraith (NSW); Mt Norman, 7 km NE of Wallangarra, I.R.Telford 3129 (A, CANB, NSW, L). N.S.W.: Torrington, R.Coveny 2268 (A, AD, BRI, K, L, PERTH, US).

Notes

Similar to A. debilis and A. pruinosa both of which have a greater number of smaller pinnules.

This species, which produces bipinnate foliage and phyllodes on the same shrub, is allied to A. rubida in the ‘Racemosae’ of sect. Phyllodineae.

FOA Reference

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

Author

M.D.Tindale, P.G.Kodela

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