Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Widespread from Dirk Hartog Is. SE to Cranbrook and to near Wagin, W.A.

Description

Shrub 0.4–2 m high, occasionally to 3 m or prostrate. Branchlets glabrous or appressed-puberulous with short straight hairs. Phyllodes linear to narrowly oblong or (when broad) oblanceolate, planoconvex or subterete to horizontally flattened, 7–17 mm long, 1–6 mm wide, l:w = 3–15. Pods strongly arcuate to openly once-coiled.

Habitat

Grows in gravel, sand, sandy loam and sandy clay in often low and open eucalypt woodland and tall shrubland.

Specimens

W.A.: Swan R., J.Drummond 2: 141 (CGE, G, K, LD, NSW, OXF, P); Dirk Hartog Is., A.S.George 11498 (AD, CANB, K, MEL, NY, PERTH); 11.3 km NW of Wongan Hills towards Piawaning, M.D.Tindale 2792 (AD, CANB, K, MEL, NSW, PERTH, UC, US); along Jaloran Rd, 10.6 km NE from Wagin, R.S.Cowan A856 & R.A.Cowan (NY, PERTH, US).

Notes

As discussed by B.R.Maslin, Nuytsia 2: 210–213 (1978), the phyllodes of subsp. leptospermoides vary considerably. Specimens with narrow phyllodes closely resemble A. ericifolia which has villous, non-glaucous phyllodes that are more obviously infolded or channelled adaxially when dry, and short, loosely villous to appressed-pilose hairs on the branchlets, the hairs being curved or subcrispate. Some specimens from the Shark Bay area (e.g. A.S.George 11498, AD, CANB, K, MEL, NY, PERTH) are unusual in having the broad, oblanceolate phyllodes of subsp. leptospermoides but the young phyllodes and branchlets villous as in A. ericifolia. Acacia binata also resembles narrow phyllode forms of A. leptospermoides; also superficially similar to A. sulcata var. planoconvexa.

FOA Reference

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

Author

B.R.Maslin