Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Locally common from Muntadgin (c. 40 km due SE of Merredin) E to near Coolgardie, W.A.; outlying populations occur near Wialki, c. 150 km due NNW of Muntadgin (e.g. G.M.Storr, PERTH00750158). The outlying population from S of Coolgardie referred to in the protologue (based on R.Cumming 2556) is not this species.

Description

Shrub 0.4-1.5 m high. Branchlets terete, ±nerveless, ash grey, (often sparsely) appressed-puberulous, glabrescent. Stipules caducous. Phyllodes ascending to erect, straight to shallowly incurved, terete, 2–4.5 (-7) cm long, 1–1.5 mm diam., gradually narrowed to an acute curved to uncinate tip, 8‑nerved; nerves often plane, very obscure, irregularly shallowly and longitudinally furrowed between, sometimes deeply furrowed as in A. subflexuosa; gland obscure, (3–) 5–10 (–15) mm above pulvinus; pulvinus ±smooth, appressed-puberulous adaxially and flared slightly at base. Inflorescences simple, 2 per axil; peduncles 2–5 mm long, glabrous or ±appressed-puberulous; heads globular, 4–5 mm diam., 14–29-flowered, golden; bracteoles exserted, oblanceolate-spathulate. Flowers 5-merous; sepals and petals free. Pods linear, strongly raised on alternating sides over and ±constricted between seeds, slightly curved and undulate, 3–6 cm long, 2.5–3 mm wide, thin-chartaceous, glabrous. Seeds longitudinal, broadly elliptic, crested around periphery, ±2 mm long, glossy, mottled, arillate.

Habitat

Grows in sand, sandy loam or sandy clay, in heath or scrub.

Specimens

W.A.: Carrabin, W.E.Blackall 4024 (B, K, PERTH); 12.8 km S of Bonnie Rock, J.Goodwin 87 (PERTH); 25 km W of Bullabulling on Great Eastern Hwy, B.R.Maslin 2413 (AD, CANB, K, MEL, NSW, NY, PERTH); Ghooli, 15 km E of Southern Cross along Great Eastern Hwy, A.Strid 20035 (AD, BRI, CANB, G, MEL, MO, NSW, PERTH).

Notes

A member of the ‘A. fragilis group’ related to A. fragilis and A. uncinella but differing from both by its pulvinus which flares basally and is appressed-puberulous on the adaxial surface, by its minute gland, acute bracteoles exserted in bud, and much smaller, nearly rotund seeds. Also closely related to A. subflexuosa but distinguished by its more obscure gland often further removed from the pulvinus, caducous stipules and by its phyllodes which are generally straighter and more erect, and which commonly have obscure nerves that are shallowly and irregularly furrowed between them.

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 & J.Reid

R.S.Cowan