Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Widespread from near Eneabba and Harvey SE to Amelup and near Esperance, W.A.

Description

Shrub 0.2–0.6 m high, intricate. Spines numerous. Branchlets usually ±appressed-puberulous with hairs retrorse. Pinnae 1–3 mm long; apices usually long-acute and dark brown; pinnules 2 or 3 pairs, 2–5 mm long, usually green, glabrous to sparsely hirsutellous. Peduncles usually 3–6 mm long and retrorsely hairy; heads 5–7 mm diam. (dry), 17–27-flowered; bracteoles acuminate, dark brown. Pods ±flat but raised over seeds, glabrous. Seeds grey-white mottled brown.

Habitat

Grows in often gravelly sand and loam, sometimes along watercourses, mostly in woodland.

Specimens

W.A.: 17.7 km NE of Kojonup towards Katanning, B.R.Maslin 645 (AD, MEL, NSW, PERTH); between Mr Barker & Lennard’s properties [between York and Guildford], W.A., L.Preiss 909 (LD).

Notes

Some specimens from the south coast (Jerramungup–Ravensthorpe and Esperance areas) have antrorse hairs on branchlets and peduncles (e.g. 31 km E of Jerramungup, M.D.Tindale 257 & B.R.Maslin, NSW, PERTH). Some specimens from near Newdegate and Tammin have glaucous pinnules and the pinnae axes ending in short-acute, sometimes light brown points (e.g. Tammin Flora Reserve, B.R.Maslin 603, MEL, NSW, PERTH). A variant occurring predominantly in seasonal swamps on the Swan Coastal Plain between Perth and Mandurah is recognised by branchlet hairs antrorse, peduncles c. 10 mm long and pinnae apices not dark brown (e.g. G.J.Keighery 5026, PERTH); this variant was included under var. lasiocarpa in B.R.Maslin, Nuytsia 1: 411 (1975).

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