Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Occurs in the N.T., N of 17ºS and on some islands in the Gulf of Carpentaria.

Description

Shrub to 2.5 m high, spreading, slightly resinous. Bark ±smooth, dark grey. Branchlets angular, glabrous or sparsely appressed hairy. Phyllodes crowded, single, occasionally a few paired or ±verticillate, linear to narrowly oblong, straight to slightly incurved, often erect, flat, 1–4 (–5) cm long, 0.4–2 (–3) mm wide, glabrous or sparsely pubescent, with 1 prominent ±central nerve, sometimes with 2 obscure subprominent nerves; gland 1, basal, minute, 1.5–4 mm above pulvinus. Peduncles 4–12 mm long, glabrous or sparsely hairy. Spikes mostly single in axils, 2–4.3 cm long, interrupted, golden. Flowers 5-merous; calyx c. 0.2–0.3 mm long, with free slender glabrous sepals; corolla c. 1–1.2 mm long, dissected to 1/3–1/2, apically swollen, ±glabrous; ovary glabrous. Pods constricted between and raised over seeds, sub-straight to curved, openly coiled following dehiscence, 3.5–10 cm long, 1.5–3 mm wide. Seeds longitudinal, narrowly oblong-elliptic, 2.3–2.8 mm long, brownish black; areole closed.

Phenology

Flowers Jan.–July.

Habitat

Grows usually in sandstone derived soils, on plateaux or in crevices, among rocks and crevices, and in sand beside creeks.

Specimens

N.T.: 2 miles [3.2 km] W of South Alligator R., Moline Rd, N.Byrnes 1330 (DNA, NSW); Deaf Adder Gorge, R.E.Fox 2508 (CANB, DNA, NSW); c. 26 miles [42 km] E of Oenpelli Mission, M.Lazarides 7756 (CANB, NSW); c. 48 miles [77 km] ENE of Pine Creek Township, M.Lazarides 186 & L.Adams (B, BRI, CANB, CHR, DNA, E, K, L, MEL, NSW, P, US).

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.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