Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Discontinuous from Mt Lesueur S through the Darling Ra. to Donnybrook, south-western W.A.

Description

Glabrous multistemmed subshrub 0.2–0.5 m high. Branchlets normally slightly flexuose, finely ribbed, variably pruinose. Stipules ±spinose, 1.5–4 mm long, slender, straight or recurved. Phyllodes erect, terete to compressed, occasionally flat, 8–27 mm long, 0.7–1.5 mm wide, pungent with slender cusp, green to greyish green, minutely papillose over the very obscure 4 or 5 nerves, finely longitudinally sulcate when dry. Inflorescences simple, 1 or 2 per axil; peduncles 4–8 mm long; heads globular, 23–30-flowered, bright light golden. Flowers 5-merous; sepals ±free; petals nerveless. Pods narrowed at both ends, shallowly curved, ±terete, to 10 cm long, 3–3.5 mm wide, subwoody, red-brown. Seeds longitudinal, narrowly oblong, 4–5 mm long, dull, yellowish brown; aril terminal, conical.

Habitat

Commonly grows on laterite or sand over laterite in Jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata), Marri (Corymbia calophylla) or Wandoo (E. wandoo) woodland or forest. Around Mt Lesueur it occurs in heath while in the Darling Ra. near Perth it may occur in sandy clay around granite outcrops.

Specimens

W.A.: Swan R., J.Drummond (2:) 140 (BM, CGE, E, G, OXF, MEL, NSW, P, PERTH, W); 4 km ENE of Mt Lesueur, NE of Jurien, E.A.Griffin 2479 (PERTH); 19 km W of Donnybrook on the road to Capel, B.R.Maslin 452 (PERTH).

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