Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Occurs in northern N.T. in Arnhem Land N of Edith Falls (14º11'S) and E to the Gulf of Carpentaria.

Description

Shrub to 1 (–2) m high, erect or prostrate, resinous, branching near ground. Bark smooth, dark grey to dark brown. Branchlets angular, brown to dark red-brown or yellowish, glabrous; ridges often minutely resin-crenulated. Phyllodes very narrowly elliptic, narrowly elliptic-oblong to linear, straight to slightly curved, 1.5–4.5 cm long, 1.4–3 (–5.2) mm wide, thinly coriaceous, with prominent stomata, with 1 ±prominent main nerve and sometimes 2 ±subprominent nerves; minor nerves indistinct, parallel, sometimes sparingly ±anastomosing; gland basal, inconspicuous, 1–2 mm above pulvinus. Heads 3–4.5 mm diam., yellow. Flowers 10–13 per head, 5-merous; calyx 0.9–1.1 mm long, almost free, glabrous; corolla 1.4–1.6 mm long, dissected to 1/3–1/2, glabrous; ovary glabrous. Pods oblanceolate to narrowly oblanceolate, basally narrowed, straight-sided, flat, 2–5 cm long, (4–) 7–9 (–13) mm wide, thinly woody, obliquely striate; margins and seed-partitions prominent. Seeds oblique, oblong-elliptic, 2.5–3.5 mm long, brown to dark brown; pleurogram with halo; areole elongate, open, dark brown; funicle-aril narrowly turbinate.

Phenology

Flowers June–Jan.

Habitat

Grows usually in grey sandy podsols on stony sandstone ridges and gorges, in eucalypt forest or woodland, and on laterite and bauxite.

Specimens

N.T.: Wessel Is., P.K.Latz 3399 (BRI, CANB, DNA, MEL, NSW); 3 km N of Yirrkala turnoff to Nhulunbuy road, D.Keith & B.Pellow 189 (NSW, SYD); Cato R., Arnhem Bay, F.Duncan (Cato 2) (NSW); c. 55 miles [88.5 km] W of B.H.P. Camp, J.R.Maconochie 1563 (BRI, CANB, DNA, MEL, NSW, PERTH); c. 68 miles [109.5] km NE of Maranboy Police Stn, M.Lazarides & L.Adams 94 (BRI, CANB, DNA, K, NSW).

Notes

A large pod variant (12–13 mm wide) occurs in inland sandstone areas, e.g. J.Russell-Smith 5223 & D.Lucas (DNA, PERTH).

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 J.Rogers

Dr M.D.Tindale and Dr P.G.Kodela with the assistance of M.Bedward, S.J.Davies, C.Herscovitch, D.A.Keith and/or D.A.Morrison