Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Occurs in the Wongan Hills and Kellerberrin areas, south-western W.A.

Description

Intricate sprawling or compact shrub normally 0.3–0.6 m high, glabrous. Branchlets pruinose. Stipules spinose, 2–4 mm long, shallowly recurved. Phyllodes dimidiate, broadest near or below the middle, with adaxial margin conspicuously rounded with its proximal edge frequently ±parallel to the branchlet, 8–15 mm long, normally 6–11 mm wide, acuminate, pungent, coriaceous, green or subglaucous; midrib near abaxial margin. Inflorescences simple, normally 1 per axil; peduncles 5–12 mm long; heads globular, rather loosely 7- or 8-flowered, golden; buds 3–3.5 mm long, acute. Flowers 4-merous; sepals 1/6 length of petals, c. 3/4-united, with lobes rounded to broadly triangular, brown; petals finely striate. Pods terete, normally to 7 cm long, 4–5 mm diam., coriaceous-crustaceous, shallowly curved, red-brown, finely longitudinally striate. Seeds longitudinal, oblong, 4–5 mm long, dark brown; aril terminal, conical.

Habitat

Grows in sand, often over laterite, in scrub and tall shrubland.

Specimens

W.A.: 17 km S of Tammin, M.D.Crisp 5503 (PERTH); 49 km from York towards Quairading, J.Taylor 2220 & P.Ollerenshaw (PERTH); Wongan Hills, M.D.Tindale 2787 (NSW, PERTH).

Notes

Phyllodes, petals and pods similar to A. dilatata which usually has puberulous non-pruinose branchlets, straight stipules and 15–25-flowered heads with 5-merous flowers. The 4-merous flowers and carpological characters of A. phaeocalyx indicate affinities to the ‘A. horridula group’, but it is clearly distinguished by its spinose stipules, large phyllodes and striate petals.

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

Minor edits by J.Rogers