Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Occurs from Weiragoo Ra. (c. 170 km due W of Meekatharra) and Koonmarra Stn (c. 80 km due NW of Meekatharra) S to near Paynes Find, W.A.

Description

Spreading somewhat straggly shrub, 0.5–1 m high. Branchlets ±straight and ascending, striate-ribbed, subglaucous, glabrous, ending in hard rigid often ±spinose points. Phyllodes distant and resembling the branchlets, sometimes few, occasionally absent (seemingly dropped upon collection), ascending to erect, narrowly linear to linear-elliptic, narrowed at both ends, straight or incurved, 2–7 cm long, 1–3 (–4) mm wide, ±pungent, subrigid, subglaucous, glabrous, 5‑nerved in all; midrib rather prominent, ±excentric; adaxial margin 2-nerved and slightly thickened; glands not prominent, 1–3, with the lowermost 2–5 mm above phyllode base. Inflorescences 1–4-headed racemes, enclosed when very young by imbricate bracts; raceme axes 1–20 (–30) mm long, sometimes growing out, glabrous; peduncles 5–12 mm long, glabrous; heads globular, 25–40-flowered, bright golden; bracteoles absent. Flowers mostly 5-merous; sepals ±free. Pods rounded over seeds and slightly to deeply constricted between them, to 11.5 cm long, 4–6 mm wide, coriaceous, brown, glabrous. Seeds longitudinal, elliptic, 5–6 mm long, turgid, glossy, dark brown; aril 1/2–2/3 length of seed.

Habitat

Grows in shallow sand or clayey sand, normally on low granite outcrops, in open scrub.

Specimens

W.A.: 100 yards W of 172 mile post from Geraldton on Mount Magnet road, A.M.Ashby 4780 (AD, BRI, CANB, MO, PERTH); 3 km NE of Anzac Bore, Koonmarra HS, R.J.Cranfield 5930 (PERTH); 12.8 km from Paynes Find on Yalgoo road, A.R.Main 2 (PERTH).

Notes

Similar to A. wiseana which is a larger shrub with short, divaricate, glabrous branchlets, shorter and generally narrower, light green phyllodes, broader pods and larger, globose seeds. In general appearance resembling the Queen Victoria Spring-Streich Mound variant of A. inaequiloba which has non-striate-ribbed branchlets, phyllodes with a midrib near the abaxial margin, very short, 1-headed racemes with conspicuous ±persistent bracts and 12–21-flowered heads with a bracteole subtending each flower.

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