Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Most collections are from the southern area of Kakadu Natl Park, N.T., particularly around Coronation Hill.

Description

Erect, straggly shrubs 1–2 (–5) m high. Bark brown or grey. Branchlets rarely slightly pruinose, glabrous. Phyllodes narrowly oblanceolate to narrowly elliptic, straight or shallowly recurved, 5.7–12.5 cm long, 8–29 mm wide, obtuse, chartaceous or rarely thinly coriaceous, dull grey-green to green, not pruinose, glabrous; with 2–3 main longitudinal nerves and numerous anastomoses, the nerve islands longitudinally elongated and prominent. Inflorescences simple or racemose; raceme axes 8–25 cm long; peduncles 8–25 mm long, 1 or 2 per axil; heads globular, 23–33-flowered, golden. Flowers 5-merous; sepals free, spathulate, c. 2/3 length of petals; ovary glabrous. Pods narrowly oblong, flat, raised over seeds, straight, mostly straight-edged, (2.2–) 3–10.5 cm long, 8–14 mm wide, chartaceous, glabrous. Seeds longitudinal to oblique, discoid, 4.5–6 mm long, dull, brown, exarillate.

Phenology

Flowers Jan.–June.

Habitat

Grows in lateritic or sandy soils in open woodland from rocky foothills to flats. Common in disturbed areas such as track verges.

Specimens

N.T.: 49 miles [78.4 km] E of Pine Creek, N.Byrnes 1326 (DNA, NT); Coronation Hill, J.L.Egan 2144 (DNA, PERTH, NSW); 72 miles [115.2 km] NE of Maranboy Police Stn, M.Lazarides & L.Adams 92 (CANB, DNA).

Notes

Related to A. hemignosta and A. amanda but differs principally by phyllode venation which has longitudinally elongated anastomoses.

Collections from north-eastern Arnhem Land, N.T., have been tentatively recognised as a closely related taxon but with further research may prove to be conspecific.

FOA Reference

Flora of Australia Project

Author

B.R.Maslin, G.J.Leach