Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Discontinuous, occurring from Perth S to Collie, Cape Naturaliste (c. 30 km WNW of Busselton) SE to Manjimup and Denmark E to Albany, with an outlier at Three Springs (c. 200 km N of Perth), W.A.

Description

Shrub 0.5–1.5 m high. Stipules spinose or subspinose. Phyllodes on non-flowering region of stems 2–10 mm wide; free portion of phyllodes 5–20 mm long, with apex spinose. Peduncles glabrous or hairy; heads 6–10-flowered, creamy white to lemon yellow, occasionally golden.

Habitat

Grows in a variety of habitats but often along creeks with laterite or loam in forest and woodland in the Darling Ra. Near Albany it grows in sand over granite in coastal heath and low woodland.

Specimens

W.A.: c. 10 km W of Three Springs, 27 June 1974, C.Chapman (MEL, PERTH); 41.8 km E of Irwin Inlet, near Denmark, 19 Feb. 1913, S.W.Jackson (CANB, K, MEL, PERTH, TLF); 1.6 km due S of Palgarrup, B.R.Maslin 2851 (MEL, PERTH); NE of Yallingup, S.Paust 205 (PERTH); Canning R., L.Preiss 997 (LUND, MO, W).

Notes

Widely cultivated in Europe last century, sometimes as A. scolopendria which is presumed to be a nomen nudum.

Appears to hybridise with A. applanata in a few places in the Darling Ra. near Perth.

Peduncles on specimens from Cape Naturaliste to Albany are hirsutellous to shortly pilose, further north they are normally glabrous. Smallest pods occur on plants from around Albany, i.e. 2–4 cm long and 5–6 mm wide.

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