Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Scattered from Bruce Rock S to near Ongerup and E to near Lake King and Speddingup (N of Esperance), south-western W.A.

Description

Spreading often domed much-branched shrub 0.1–0.5 m high. Branchlets often ±pungent, hirtellous to pubescent, with hairs infrequently appressed. Phyllodes inequilaterally obtriangular to obdeltate, with upper margin forming a prominent rounded angle above middle of phyllode and lower margin ending in a straight or shallowly recurved ±pungent mucro, 3–6 mm long, 2–4 mm wide, hirtellous, occasionally subglabrous; main nerve ±prominent or obscure and central or towards abaxial margin, with other nerves absent or few and obscure; gland 1–3 mm above base. Inflorescences rudimentary 1-headed racemes with axes to c. 1 mm long; peduncles 4–10 mm long, hairy or glabrous; basal bracts 2 or 3, brown; heads globular, 3–4 mm diam., 8–15-flowered, lemon yellow or golden; bracteoles absent. Flowers mostly 5-merous; sepals 1/2–3/4-united. Pods prominently rounded over seeds on alternate sides, curved to openly once-coiled, to 3 cm long, 3–3.5 mm wide, thinly coriaceous, glabrous or hairy. Seeds longitudinal, ±planoconvex, 2.5–3 mm long, dull, black, rugulose; aril terminal.

Habitat

Grows in sand, sandy gravel, gravel, sandy clay and clay, in heath under open eucalypt scrub.

Specimens

W.A.: Bruce Rock, Sept. 1933, E.T.Bailey s.n. (PERTH); 32 km NE of Ongerup, K.Newbey 3667 (PERTH); 16–19 km from Lake King along road to Lake Grace, A.Strid 21069 (AD, BRI, NSW, PERTH, W, Z).

Notes

Possibly with affinity to A. spinosissima. Superficially similar to A. aristulata.

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