Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Known only from the type locality and from Jasper Gorge, N.T.

Description

Shrub to c. 1 m diam., prostrate, glabrous or shortly hispid with white hairs on branchlets, peduncles and phyllodes. Stipules erect, subulate, 1.5–2 mm long. Phyllodes 6–9 per whorl, spreading to ascending, uncinate with mucro 0.2–0.5 mm long, terete, commonly 8–16 mm long, with 1 adaxial and 2 abaxial grooves. Peduncles 13–37 mm long, glabrous or sparsely or moderately hispid. Heads commonly 20–25-flowered. Flowers 5-merous; calyx 0.5 mm long, glabrous; calyx lobes triangular with prominent midrib; corolla 2–2.3 mm long, striate throughout, glabrous or shortly hispid. Pods stipitate, 1.5–5 cm long, 4–5 mm wide, glabrous; margins slightly thickened. Seeds (not seen mature) to 12 per pod, longitudinal; pleurogram open.

Phenology

Flowers Mar.

Habitat

Grows on steep sandstone hillsides with spinifex (Triodia) and shrubland.

Specimens

N.T.: Jasper Gorge, N.Byrnes 764 (DNA); Jasper Gorge, 5 km W of Jasper Ck on road to Timber Creek, B.R..Maslin 7485, M.McDonald & G.Leach (DNA, PERTH).

Notes

Foliage bright green; branches purplish. Distinguished by the prostrate habit, typically sparse indumentum, uncinate phyllodes and prominently striate corolla. The N.T. collections are much more hairy and have shorter peduncles than the type. Distinguished from the closely allied and more easterly distributed A. asperulacea by distinctly stipitate pods.

FOA Reference

Data derived from Flora of Australia Volumes 11A (2001), 11B (2001) and 12 (1998), products of ABRS, ©Commonwealth of Australia

Author

A.S.George