Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Occurs in scattered localities from near Nyabing NNE (c. 60 km due ENE of Katanning) to Peak Charles Natl Park (c. 100 km SSW of Norseman), south-western W.A.

Description

Shrub 0.2–1.5 m high. Branchlets usually densely pubescent with the hairs subappressed. Phyllodes narrowly linear, flat to almost terete, usually 2–7 cm long and 1–2 mm wide, acute to subacute, excentrically mucronate, innocuous to coarsely pungent, green to glaucous, frequently drying greyish, with indumentum as on branchlets but hairs sparse or absent with age (young phyllodes rarely glabrous), 5-nerved in all, 1-nerved per face when flat, with the 2-nerved upper margin of flat phyllodes c. 0.5 mm wide; gland 5–15 mm above pulvinus. Inflorescences rudimentary, 2-branched racemes with axes to 0.5 mm long; peduncles 3–15 mm long, glabrous; heads globular, 3.5–4 mm diam., 15–20-flowered, light golden; bracteoles few or absent. Flowers 5-merous; sepals free. Pods linear, biconvex, ±shallowly curved, to 5.5 cm long, 1.5–3 mm wide, thinly coriaceous-crustaceous, glabrous to moderately puberulous. Seeds longitudinal, oblong, 2.5–3 mm long, mottled; aril terminal, conical.

Habitat

Grows in moderate to well-drained loam, sandy loam or clay loam, in low eucalypt woodland or open shrub mallee, on plains and alluvial flats.

Specimens

W.A.: 14 km from Ravensthorpe towards Lake King, B.R.Maslin 2575 (K, PERTH); c. 40 km NE of Lake King, K.R.Newbey 5457 (AD, BRI, CANB, G, MO, PERTH); 23 km SW of Peak Charles, K.R.Newbey 6466 (CANB, PERTH); 34 km SW of 90 Mile Tank, Frank Hann Natl Park, Norseman–Lake King road, K.Newbey 6507 (CANB, MEL, PERTH).

Notes

Plants from Frank Hann Natl Park–Bremer Ra. area are 0.2–0.5 m high, but elsewhere commonly 0.5–1.5 m. A glabrous variant with short phyllodes (15 mm long) occurs near Nyabing (e.g. B.R.Maslin 793, K, MEL, PERTH). Phyllodes on young regrowth (flowering) specimens may reach 5–7 mm wide.

Allied to A. poliochroa which has 4-nerved, generally shorter phyllodes, strongly curved to once-coiled pods and smaller, non-mottled seeds. Superficially similar to A. mutabilis subsp. angustifolia.

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