Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Discontinuous in the arid zone from Nerren Nerren Stn N to the Lyndon R., Lake Auld to Lake Disappointment, and Dovers Hills, W.A., and in the Tanami area near The Granites, N.T.,

Description

Intricate shrub to 4 m high and the same across. Ultimate branchlets divaricate, short, straight, striate-ribbed, light green, glabrous, somewhat spinose. Phyllodes sparse, inconspicuous, frequently shed, patent to deflexed, linear, pentagonal-compressed to flat, 5–20 mm long, 1–1.5 mm wide, acute, ±pungent, light green, glabrous, 5-nerved; midrib not prominent, central; adaxial margin 2-nerved and somewhat thickened. Inflorescences 2–6-headed racemes which may resemble the branchlets and appear simple; raceme axes 5-25 mm long, glabrous; heads globular, c. 25-flowered, light golden to mid-golden; bracteoles absent. Flowers 5-merous; sepals free. Pods prominently rounded over seeds and moderately to deeply constricted between them, to 18 cm long, 6–12 mm wide, thinly crustaceous, yellow-brown, commonly lightly pruinose, glabrous. Seeds longitudinal, globose, 5–9 mm diam., dull, dark brown; aril small, terminal.

Habitat

Grows in red sand or sandy loam, in open scrub, low woodland or on spinifex (Triodia spp., Plectracne spp.) plains, sometimes occurs around clay pans.

Specimens

W.A.: 195 km N of Carnarvon, P.E.Conrick 972 (MEL, PERTH); 33 km S of Overlander Roadhouse on North West Coastal Hwy, B.R.Maslin 2779 (AD, MEL, NY, PERTH). N.T.: 29 km NW of The Granites, J.R.Maconochie 1630 (K, PERTH).

Notes

Related to A. scleroclada.

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