Daviesia ulicifolia subsp. ruscifolia (A.Cunn. ex Benth.) Chandler & Crisp (1997: 44)

Crisp, Michael D., Cayzer, Lindy, Chandler, Gregory T. & Cook, Lyn G., 2017, A monograph of Daviesia (Mirbelieae, Faboideae, Fabaceae), Phytotaxa 300 (1), pp. 448-450 : 448-450

10c. Daviesia ulicifolia subsp. ruscifolia (A.Cunn. ex Benth.) Chandler & Crisp (1997: 44) , Crisp (2002: 528). Daviesia ruscifolia A.Cunn. ex Bentham (1837a: 11) , Bentham (1839: 75). Daviesia ulicina Sm. f. ruscifolia (A.Cunn. ex Benth.) Bentham (1864: 81) . Daviesia ulicina Sm. var. ruscifolia (A.Cunn. ex Benth.) Black (1924: 296) —name misapplied to material of D. arenaria . Type: ‘Nova Cambria australis, A. Cunningham.(v.s.)’ Holotype: Bushy sandstone ridge SW from Lake George, SW interior of N.S. Wales, A. Cunningham 64, April 1824 (W); isotypes: BM, CANB, CGE, K (2 sheets), NY). Though the type appears to be juvenile, there is no doubt it belongs to this taxon

Shrubs 0.2–1.7 m high, sometimes observed suckering from roots. Root anatomy unknown. Phyllodes ovate or somewhat narrow, wide at the base, 5–12 × 1.5–4.5 mm; upper face convex with midrib more prominent than below. Unit inflorescences 1 or 2 per axil, 1-flowered; peduncle nil. Pedicels 0.5–4 mm long. Calyx 2–3 mm long including the 0.5–1 mm receptacle. Corolla : standard very broad-obovate with a deep sinus at the apex, 4–9 × 5– 10 mm including the ca. 1–2 mm claw, orange with dark red markings; wings deeply auriculate, 4–6 × 2 mm including the ca. 1–2 mm claw, dark red centrally grading to orange-red at the margins and apex; keel acute, saccate, slightly auriculate, 3–5 × 1–1.5 mm including the ca. 1–1.5 mm claw, dark red. ( Fig. 11C, D ).

Flowering period:— Late October to early January. Fruiting period: December and January, rarely February.

Distribution:— Mostly at higher elevations in the Great Dividing Range from central New South Wales to the Grampians in western Victoria; also at lower elevations in Tasmania and Victoria.

Habitat:— Dry sclerophyll (eucalypt) forest, usually on hills and ridge crests, occasionally in lower-lying areas in Victoria. Often occurring on rocky sites or alpine loam soils.

Selected specimens (36 examined):— NEW SOUTH WALES. Southern Tablelands: Namadgi National Park, 9.6 km from the second crossing of the Gudgenby River within the Park along Bobyan Road, 35°49’30’ S , 149°00’30’E, G. T . Chandler 147, 29 November 1994 ( CANB) . VICTORIA. Eastern Highlands: Native Dog Flat, Buchan River crossing, 36°53’49’ S , 148°05’17’E, G. T . Chandler 156, 10 December 1994 ( CANB). Northern Plains: Whipstick Scrub , N of Bendigo, 3.2 km along Skylark Road from intersection with Loeser Road, G . T . Chandler 125, 18 October 1994 ( CANB). Western Highlands: Mt Cole Plateau , 100 m N of summit of Mt Bangor , 37°18’S, 143°13’E, M . D. Crisp 8321 & J . M . Taylor, 28 November 1989 ( CBG, MEL, NSW) . TASMANIA. Grass Tree Flats, F . H . Long 598, 13 November 1931 ( HO) .

42 • Phytotaxa 300 (1) © 2017 Magnolia Press

CRISP ET AL.

Affinity:— This subspecies most closely resembles the inland New South Wales form of D. ulicifolia subsp. ulicifolia , with the phyllodes and inflorescences similar, though those of subsp. ulicifolia are generally narrower at the base, and the standard is yellow and smaller. Also similar in phyllode shape to subsp. pilligensis but the latter differs in having a predominantly yellow standard, visible venation, and the midrib more or less equally prominent on both surfaces. The phyllodes do not resemble those of subsp. stenophylla , subsp. aridicola or subsp. incarnata .

Figures

FIGURE 11. Daviesia ulicifolia subsp. ulicifolia. A. Flowering branchlet. B. Inflorescence (1-flowered). C. Pod. A, B from Crisp 6738; C from Rodway 15476. Drawn by B-J. Osborne. Adapted from Chandler and Crisp (1997), with permission from CSIRO Publishing.