Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Occurs from the general vicinity of Southern Cross to Kambalda, Peak Charles and Fraser Ra., southern W.A.

Description

Rounded or obconic shrub to 3.5 m high, stems not fluted. Branchlets glabrous. Phyllodes ascending to erect, linear to narrowly elliptic or narrowly oblanceolate, ±straight, (3-) 4–8 (-10) cm long, 3–7 (-10) mm wide, acute to acuminate with recurved to uncinate and innocuous tip, glabrous; nerves numerous, ±close, parallel, non-anastomosing, with the central one slightly more pronounced than the rest. Inflorescences 2 (-4)-headed racemes; raceme axes 2–5 mm long and terminated by a resinous vegetative bud; peduncles 4–8 mm long, appressed-puberulous or glabrous; heads globular, 3.5–4 mm diam., ±45-flowered, light golden. Flowers 5-merous; sepals free. Pods narrowly oblong, not constricted between seeds and slightly raised over them, to 7 cm long, 5–8 mm wide, ±chartaceous, red-brown, glabrous to subglabrous. Seeds transverse to oblique, elliptic or oblong-elliptic, 3–4.5 mm long, shiny, brown to blackish; aril clavate.

Habitat

Grows in low hilly country in loam or clay, often over greenstone or granite, mostly in mallee woodland or shrubland.

Specimens

W.A.: 35 km N of Norseman towards Coolgardie, B.R.Maslin 2440 (CANB, K, PERTH); 1.5 km S of Spargoville on Coolgardie–Esperance Hwy, B.R.Maslin 4823 (AD, BRI, MEL, NSW, PERTH); 6 km SSE of Marvel Loch towards Mt Day, B.R.Maslin 5512 (PERTH).

Notes

Most closely related to A. fraternalis. Also possibly having affinities with A. redolens which has resin-ribbed, hoary branchlets, phyllodes with the nerves more widely spaced and narrower pods. Phyllodes superficially similar to those of A. sulcaticaulis.

FOA Reference

Data derived from Flora of Australia Volumes 11A (2001), 11B (2001) and 12 (1998), products of ABRS, ©Commonwealth of Australia

Author

Minor edits by B.R.Maslin

R.S.Cowan, B.R.Maslin