Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Scattered on Cape York Peninsula as far S as Herberton, northern Qld.

Description

Spreading shrub to tree 3–5 m high. Branchlets sometimes pruinose, glabrous. Phyllodes inequilaterally narrowly elliptic, shallowly falcate, 7–12 cm long, 15–33 (–40) mm wide, obtuse, coriaceous, glabrous except golden stellate-hairy when very young (hairs often confined to margins), with 3 main longitudinal nerves of which only lowermost reaches the apex and is ±contiguous with lower margin at the base, prominently reticulate; gland basal, with 1 or 2 smaller glands on upper margin at junction of longitudinal nerves. Inflorescences in axillary racemes and sometimes terminal panicles; raceme axes 1–4 cm long, glabrous except for scattered yellow stellate hairs at apex of developing axes; peduncles normally in pairs, 7–20 (–45) mm long, glabrous; heads globular, c. 8 mm diam., 40–75-flowered, white. Flowers 5‑merous; sepals 3/4‑united, golden-hairy on lobes; petals golden-hairy on lobes. Pods flat, to 8 cm long, c. 2 cm wide, thin, transversely reticulate, glabrous. Seeds transverse, 5.5–6 mm long; aril cupular.

Phenology

Flowers c. Dec.–Apr.

Habitat

Grows in sandy soils on hills and along streams.

Specimens

Qld: Herberton–Petford road between Irvinebank and Emuford, J.R.Clarkson 2834 (PERTH).

Notes

Often confused with A. platycarpa which has larger, thicker pods with larger seeds and no golden-stellate pubescence. Seemingly also related to A. flavescens.

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 J.Rogers

R.S.Cowan, B.R.Maslin