Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Occurs from N of the Murchison R. S to Chidlow and near Merredin, and at Hospital Rocks (c. 90 km W of Menzies), with an early collection from Mt William in the Darling Ra., W.A.

Description

Multistemmed, sometimes straggly, mostly glabrous shrub, 0.5–1.5 m high; stems rush-like, terete, finely striate, green, sometimes glaucous. Bipinnate foliage sometimes present at base of stems. Stipules conspicuous on new growth. Phyllodes rarely present, distant, resembling stems, ±pentagonal-terete in section, 7–25 mm long, c. 0.7 mm wide, acuminate, 5-nerved; adaxial margin 2-nerved and broad; gland at distal end of pulvinus. Inflorescences 4–12-headed racemes; raceme axes 1–6 cm long, slender, flexuose, enclosed when young by conspicuous imbricate brown bracts; peduncles 4–11 mm long, slender; heads globular, 25–35-flowered, golden. Flowers mostly 5-merous; calyx c. 1/6 length of corolla, with sepals shortly and irregularly united. Pods ±moniliform, to 8.5 cm long, 3–4 mm wide, thinly coriaceous, dark brown to blackish. Seeds longitudinal, ovate-elliptic, 3–4 mm long, turgid, slightly shiny, black; aril conspicuous.

Habitat

Grows in a variety of habitats but commonly in gravelly or rocky loam in woodland or heath, or sandy clay associated with granite outcrops.

Specimens

W.A.: Kalbarri, R.S.Cowan A809 & R.A.Cowan (CANB, NY, PERTH, US); Hospital Rock, Walling Rock Stn, R.J.Cranfield 7461 (CANB, PERTH); Swan R., J.Drummond (2:) 143 (BM, CGE, LD, OXF, P, PERTH, W); Mt William, J.Gilbert 107 (PERTH); 24 km N of Wannamal towards Moora, B.R.Maslin 3239 (AD, ADW, BRI, CANB, E, L, PERTH).

Notes

Superficially resembling A. cerastes which has tortuous branches with the phyllodes reduced to minute, continuous, horn-like projections, as well as very much reduced racemes.

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