Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Restricted to Boxwood Hill and Fitzgerald R. Natl Park, south-western W.A.

Description

Dense, ±resinous shrub 0.25–2 m high. Branchlets glabrous, papillose-tuberculate. Phyllodes ascending to erect, straight to shallowly incurved, terete, 2–6 cm long, 0.7–1 mm diam., acute with short straight rigid point, glabrous, papillose on raised internerve spaces, 8-nerved with nerves impressed at base of longitudinal furrows. Inflorescences simple, 2 per axil; peduncles 3.5–5 mm long, glabrous; heads globular or slightly obloid, 2.5–3.5 mm long, 2.5–3 mm diam., 10–20-flowered; bracteoles linear to fusiform. Flowers 5-merous; sepals to 1/2-united. Pods erect, linear, raised over seeds and one margin slightly constricted between them, slightly curved, to ±4 cm long and 2.5 mm wide, thin-coriaceous, glabrous. Seeds longitudinal, oblong, 3–4 mm long, glossy, dark brown-black; aril apical, conical with truncate tip, white.

Habitat

Grows in spongolitic soil in woodland.

Specimens

W.A.: 6 km N of Boxwood Hill, K.Newbey 4621 (CANB, PERTH).

Notes

Superficially very similar to the typical variety of A. eremophila which has pubescent branchlets, larger flower-heads, shorter peduncles which are usually puberulous, spathulate bracteoles, non-resinous pods and elliptic to oblong-ovate seeds.

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