Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Occurs in north-western N.T., from near Darwin SE to near Katherine.

Description

Shrub or tree 2–7 m high, often suckering following fire. Bark dark grey to black, fissured. Branchlets angular at extremities, glabrous. Phyllodes narrowly elliptic to oblanceolate, shallowly to ±strongly falcate, (7–) 8–20 cm long, (7–) 10–28 (–35) mm wide, obtuse, glabrous, with 2 or 3 prominent longitudinal nerves (the third on broad phyllodes and not extending to apex) of which only lowermost reaching apex; secondary nerves anastomosing in open reticulum; gland basal, with 1 or 2 additional glands on upper margin. Inflorescences in axillary racemes or terminal panicles; raceme axes 6.5–15 cm long, glabrous; peduncles 5–20 mm long; heads globular, 5–6 mm diam., 40–62-flowered, white to cream or yellow. Flowers 5‑merous; sepals 1/2–2/3-united. Pods flat, 13 cm long, 2–2.8 cm wide, thickly coriaceous to woody, openly reticulately nerved, glabrous. Seeds transverse, oblong-elliptic, 9–10 mm long, slightly shiny, dark brown; funicle fleshy and folded beneath aril.

Phenology

Flowers April–June.

Habitat

Grows in sandy and gravelly soil in open forest and woodland.

Specimens

N.T.: Munmarlary, C.Dunlop 4268 (PERTH); c. 3 km E of Umbrawarra Gorge, C.Dunlop 4556 (CANB, PERTH); Mary R. Ranger Station, S boundary of Kakadu Natl Park, B.R.Maslin 7361 et al. (DNA, PERTH).

Notes

Closely related to A. rothii. Also related to A. latescens which has consistently two main longitudinal nerves in the phyllodes, short axillary racemes and narrower pods with seeds longitudinal to oblique.

FOA Reference

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

Author

R.S.Cowan, B.R.Maslin

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