Common Name

Steel Bush, Granite Bush, Granite Wattle

Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Occurs in south-central S.A. in the N part of Eyre Penin. from just W of Gawler Ra. and L. Gillies northwards to N of Tarcoola (L. Gairdner area); also a disjunct occurrence in central Qld where it occurs in the Grey Ra., SW of Blackall.

Description

Shrub 1–3 m high, dense, spreading, rounded or flat-topped. Branchlets appressed-puberulous at extremities. Phyllodes elliptic to oblong-elliptic, 2.5–5.5 cm long, 7–14 mm wide, rounded-obtuse, coriaceous, glaucous, golden or silvery appressed-puberulous when young, with numerous fine closely parallel nerves of uniform prominence or 1–3 sometimes slightly more prominent; margins (mature phyllodes) red-brown, resinous. Inflorescences simple, 1 or 2 per axil; peduncles 3–8 mm long, puberulous; spikes 15–25 mm long, ±interrupted at maturity, golden. Flowers 5-merous; sepals free. Pods narrowly oblong, scarcely raised over seeds, curved, to 9 cm long, 10–12 mm wide, subwoody, velvety, sometimes glabrescent; margins thickened. Seeds slightly oblique, broadly elliptic, 7.5 mm long, dull, brown; aril terminal.

Habitat

Grows on rocky hillsides and ridges, associated with granite, in tall open shrubland or low open woodland, especially with species of the ‘A. aneura group’.

Specimens

S.A.: L. Gairdner area, c. 3 km N Mulga Well outstation and 20 km NE of Kingoonya, B.Lay 283 (AD, PERTH); 8 km W of Nonning, 27 Aug. 1955, A.R.Main (PERTH); 21 km SE of Mulgathing Stn on road to Malbooma Railway siding, D.E.Symon 1118 (AD, PERTH); Qld: none cited yet.

Notes

Similar to A. quadrimarginea in venation and red margins of the phyllodes, as well as in having free or nearly free sepals, but the phyllodes of A. quadrimarginea are not glaucous and its pods are different. Bears some superficial resemblance to A. incanicarpa (W.A.).

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, R.S.Cowan

Minor edits by B.R.Maslin