Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Known only from near Kellerberrin and Mukinbudin, W.A.

Description

Spindly, open, glabrous, commonly single-stemmed shrub 2–4 m high. Branchlets pruinose, roughened by raised scars of fallen phyllodes. Phyllodes elliptic to ovate, often shallowly concave and reflexed, 1.5–3.5 cm long, 7–15 mm wide, l:w = 1.5–3, acute to subacute, mucronulate, coriaceous, pruinose, glaucous, with slightly raised midrib, subobscurely finely penninerved. Inflorescences axillary and/or terminal racemes, often interspersed with some simple, axillary peduncles; raceme axes 10–40 mm long; peduncles 6–13 (–25) mm long, often pruinose; heads globular to slightly obloid, 5–6 mm diam., 45–65-flowered, light golden. Flowers 5-merous; sepals free. Pods linear, rounded over and ±constricted between seeds, to 6 cm long, 5–6 mm wide, thinly coriaceous, pruinose. Seeds longitudinal, oblong to slightly elliptic, 4 mm long, dull, dark brown; funicle c. 1/2 encircling seed; aril clavate.

Habitat

Grows in sandy loam and clay in open woodland.

Specimens

W.A.: NE of Bungalla, 15 Jan. 1967, A.R.Main s.n. (PERTH); Mukinbudin area [precise locality withheld for conservation reasons], P.Roberts 16 (PERTH).

Notes

A member of the ‘A. microbotrya group’, similar to the pruinose form of A. leptopetala which can be distinguished by its growth habit (dense and multistemmed), smaller flower-heads and by the phyllodes never being shallowly concave, reflexed or broadest below their middle; intermediates occur between the two taxa and also presumed hybrids. Also closely allied to A. meisneri.

Conservation

Gazetted a rare species in W.A.

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