Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Occurs near Broomehill (c. 20 km due SSE of Katanning), Jerramungup and Ravensthorpe, south-western W.A.

Description

Spreading rather dense glabrous shrub 1–2.5 m high. New shoots, phyllode nerves and bracteoles commonly mealy. Phyllodes oblanceolate to linear-oblanceolate, straight to shallowly incurved, 2–5 (–9) cm long, 3–8 mm wide, obtuse-mucronulate or ±acute, thin, green or subglaucous, 1- or 2-nerved per face; midrib near abaxial margin (infrequently central); adaxial margin 2-nerved; minor nerves anastomosing to form an open longitudinal reticulum; gland not prominent, 0–2 mm above pulvinus. Inflorescences simple, mostly 2 per axil; peduncles c. 2 mm long, ±obscured by stamens at anthesis; basal bract persistent; heads globular, 17–22-flowered, light golden. Flowers 5-merous; sepals united to near apex. Pods linear, shallowly curved, to 9 cm long, 3.5 mm wide, firmly chartaceous. Seeds longitudinal, oblong, 4 mm long, shiny, dark brown; aril terminal, orange-brown when dry.

Habitat

Grows on loam and clay, in woodland, mallee communities and Acacia shrubland.

Specimens

W.A.: 8 km S of Ravensthorpe towards Hopetoun, B.R.Maslin 2565 (CANB, K, MEL, NY, PERTH); 17.7 km SE of Jerramungup, K.Newbey 1299 (BRI, NSW, NY, PERTH); 1.6 km E of Broomehill, K.Newbey 3434 (G, PERTH).

Notes

One specimen from S of Ravensthorpe (K.Newbey 940, PERTH) has atypically long phyllodes (to 9 cm).

Appears most closely related to A. stricta, which is widespread in eastern Australia and distinguished especially by its often paler coloured heads 20–38-flowered, peduncles 2–5 mm long, phyllodes 3.5–14 cm × 3–15 mm, midrib central, adaxial margin 1-nerved and by numerous fine lateral nerves which form an obliquely orientated (relative to the midrib) close reticulum. The adaxial margin of phyllodes in A. errabunda is 2-nerved and these nerves are sometimes clearly intra-marginal so that the phyllodes appear to be 2-nerved per face.

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