Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Occurs principally in the Avon R. drainage system from Goomalling to Brookton; an outlying population occurs near Wannamal, W.A.

Description

Dense, glabrous, funnel-shaped or rounded shrub 2–4 m high. Branchlets pruinose. Phyllodes elliptic to obovate or oblanceolate, 15–40 mm long, 5–15 mm wide, l:w usually 2–4, obtuse to acute, often mucronulate, grey to glaucous, often pruinose, 1-nerved per face; lateral nerves obscure. Inflorescences predominantly simple but often interspersed with a few
3–7-branched racemes with axes 3–18 mm long; peduncles (3–) 7–20 mm long; heads globular, rarely obloid, commonly 4–5 mm diam. and 35–50-flowered, golden. Flowers 5‑merous; sepals free. Pods biconvex, deeply constricted between seeds, fragmenting easily at constrictions, to 10 cm long, 6–7 mm wide, crustaceous, pruinose or sometimes not, glabrous. Seeds longitudinal, elliptic to oblong-elliptic, 5.5–7 mm long, dull, black; funicle filiform, 1/2–3/4 encircling seed in a single fold; aril thick.

Phenology

Flowers sporadically throughout the year.

Habitat

Grows in sand, sandy clay, clay, loamy sand, loam, rocky loam, rocky clay and lateritic gravel, often in Wandoo woodland, frequently on roadsides.

Specimens

W.A.: c. 9.6 km S of Wannamal Siding, A.S.George 8636 (PERTH, TLF); 19 km from York towards Quairading, B.R.Maslin 3819 (K, PERTH); 3 km W of Toodyay on Harper Rd, B.R.Maslin 5322 (PERTH); 3.2 km N of Brookton on Brookton Hwy, M.D.Tindale 127 & B.R.Maslin (NSW, PERTH).

Notes

One of the ‘A. microbotrya group’, which may be confused with pruinose forms of the more easterly-distributed close relative, A. leptopetala, which has predominantly racemose inflorescences. Also closely allied to A. merrickiae which has a more open habit and slightly larger flower-heads which are more often in racemes. Intermediates occur among the three species.

Phyllodes very variable in shape and size. Atypically elongate forms (l:w = 5–8) occur on some plants, especially in the Northam–Toodyay area; because there is no marked discontinuity in phyllode dimensions the entity described by Meissner as var. angustifolia is not formally recognised for these plants.

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

B.R.Maslin