Daviesia arenaria Crisp (1980b: 163)

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

8. Daviesia arenaria Crisp (1980b: 163) , Crisp (1995: 1171), Jeanes (1996: 761), Crisp (2002: 527), Craigie (2015: 27). Type: New South Wales, South Far-western Plains, 31.5 km W of Euston along Sturt Highway towards Mildura (Victoria), 34°26’S, 142°28’E, M.D. Crisp 5720, 18 August 1979, fl., photos, spirit material. Holotype: CBG; isotypes: AD, K, L, MEL, NSW

[ Daviesia ulicina var. ruscifolia auct. non (A.Cunn. ex Benth.) Black (1924: 296). Although J.M. Black made the combination, he misapplied it to material of D. arenaria (e.g. Black 1948: 435).]

Shrubs, generally low, spreading and hummocky, to 1.5 m tall and 2.5 m broad; vegetative parts rather stiffly pubescent or grey hispid, rarely glabrous. Root anatomy normal (unistelar). Branchlets divaricate, numerous, short, longitudinally ridged, rigid, spinescent. Phyllodes divaricate to ascending, horizontally compressed or flattened, mostly broadly ovate and cordate, occasionally narrowly to broadly elliptic and attenuate towards the articulated base, rarely obovate, apically cuspidate, pungent, rigid, 2.5–10 × 1.5–8 mm; upper surface grooved along the midrib and slightly folded upwards to give a V transection; lower surface thickened with raised marginal nerves and midrib; lateral venation finely reticulate, midrib more prominent on abaxial surface. Seedling phyllodes scattered, ovate, folded upwards along midrib or flat, apically acuminate, 7–11 × 5–9 mm. Unit inflorescences 1(2) per axil, 1-flowered; peduncle nil; subtending bracts clasping the pedicel, hooded, keeled, ca. 1 mm long. Pedicel 2–3 mm long, stiffly pubescent or glabrous. Calyx articulate at the pedicel, obliquely campanulate, 2.5–3.5 mm long, 10-ribbed, abruptly contracted at the base into the ca. 0.5 mm receptacle; lobes subequal, triangular, acute, minutely fimbriate at the margins, ca. 1 mm long, each with a raised midnerve extending upward from the hypanthium; upper 2 lobes slightly broader and lowermost one slightly longer than the others. Corolla : standard depressed-ovate, shortly decurrent with the claw, thickened and sigmoid along a line running up the claw to the base of the lamina, 6–7 × 5–6 mm including the 1–2 mm claw, orange-pink in front, intensely maroon on the back, with a greenish yellow central line on both sides; wings narrowly obovate, falcate, rounded at the apex, auriculate, with a small lobe opposite the auricles on the abaxial margin, saccate, ca. 6–7 × 2 mm including the 2 mm claw, maroon; keel connate along the lower margin except the claw, half broadly elliptic, incurved with an acicular beak, slightly auriculate, slightly saccate near the centre, ca. 6–7 × 1.5 mm including the 2 mm claw, maroon in the upper half. Stamens dimorphic: inner whorl of 5 with slightly longer, slender, scarcely compressed filaments and basifixed, cordate anthers with confluent thecae; outer whorl of 5 with slightly shorter, broader, compressed filaments and basifixed, 2-celled oblong anthers; filaments scarcely overlapping, free. Pod obliquely shallowly obtriangular, beaked with a persistent style, compressed, 6–7 × ca. 4 mm; upper suture sigmoid; lower suture acute. Seed ellipsoid, 2.7–3 mm long, 1.8–2 mm broad, 0.9–1.2 mm thick, brown with black mottling; aril 0.9–1.1 mm long. ( Fig. 9 ).

Common name:— Sandhill Bitter-pea.

Flowering period:— August to November. Fruiting period: October to January.

Distribution:— Widespread in the mallee districts of south-eastern Australia, from near Minnipa on the Eyre Peninsula, South Australia, south-east to the Grampians, Victoria, and north-east to Bogan Gate, New South Wales.

Habitat:— Typically on deep sand, often on the crests of dunes, in mallee, or open forest dominated by Callitris or Eucalyptus in wetter areas, where it can extend to skeletal soils on ridge tops. This species appears to favour openings in the tree canopy.

Selected specimens (105 examined):— SOUTH AUSTRALIA. Eyre Peninsula: Between Kimba and Minnipa, K. B . Warnes 116, 31 August 1969 ( AD). Lofty South: Tanunda , ca. 65 km NE of Adelaide, 34°32’S, 138°58’E, D. N . Kraehenbuehl s.n., 22 September 1962 ( AD 96408105 , MEL, NSW); Spring Gully Park, Clare , 33°50’S, 138°36’E, R . Bates 349, September 1978 ( AD); pine forest between Gawler town and Light River , H. H . Behr 190, November 1918 ( MEL); near Yatala Vale , 34°52’S, 138°38’E, D. N . Kraehenbuehl 479, 25 September 1961 ( AD, NSW, W); Tanunda , 34°32’S, 138°58’E, D. N . Kraehenbuehl 655, 22 September 1962 ( AD, MEL, NSW); Crystal Brook , F. J. H . von Mueller s.n., November 1851 ( MEL 0080786 A). Murray Basin: Naracoorte–Bordertown

A MONOGRAPH OF DAVIESIA

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road, near The Gap, 36°41’S, 140°40’E, D. Hunt 5, 31 August 1961 ( AD); 20 km NE of Blanchetown on Waikerie road, 34°16’S, 139°48’E, L. Haegi 687, 5 October 1975 ( AD, P, PR, RSA). NEW SOUTH WALES. South Western Plains : Shepherds Hill , Euabalong West , 33°03’S, 146°54’E, G. M. Cunningham s.n. & P. L. Milthorpe, 2

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CRISP ET AL.

September 1974 ( CANB 827690 , NSW); near Condoblin , 33°05’S, 147°09’E, E . Gauba s.n., 24 October 1956 ( CBG 2711 ); 1.5 km E of Bogan Gate on Forbes to Condoblin road, 33°07’S, 147°50’E, M . D. Tindale s.n. & C. K . Ingram, 3 October 1956 ( NSW 39157 ). VICTORIA. Mallee: 10 km S of Murrayville, Big Desert , 35°22’S, 141°12’E, A. C . Beauglehole 57061, 19 November 1977 ( CANB, MEL); 90 km SSW of Mildura, 2.7 km WSW of Mt Crozier , 35°54’S, 141°40’E, M .D. Crisp 3387, 11 October 1977 ( CBG). Western Highlands: Near Moora- Moora Reservoir , Grampians, 37°14’S, 142°26’E, P . Mathews s.n., 3 January 1977 ( MEL 0523836 A). CULTIVATED. Australian National Botanic Gardens , Canberra (ex. M. D. Crisp 3281), M .D. Crisp 5667, 19 February 1979, seedling ( CBG) .

Affinity:— Daviesia arenaria is most closely related to D. ulicifolia , the most widespread and diverse species in the genus. Daviesia ulicifolia has a very variable phyllode shape and size but always has a convex upper surface with a prominent raised midrib, in contrast to the concave adaxial surface with a sunken midrib in D. arenaria . Compared with D. arenaria , the standard of D. ulicifolia is always paler (yellow to orange) towards the abaxial margin. Above all, the keel is broader, ± obtuse and neither incurved nor apiculate at the apex. Also, D. ulicifolia never has cordate phyllodes.

Figures

FIGURE 9. Daviesia arenaria. A. Branchlet with immature pods. B. Phyllode in abaxial view showing prominent midrib. C. Same phyllode in adaxial view showing central groove with inconspicuous midrib. D, E. More phyllodes showing shape variation, in adaxial view. F. Flower. G. Pod. A from Haegi 687; B, C & F from Crisp 5720; D from Kraehenbuehl 479; E from Harris s.n. (AD 21554); G from Gauba s.n. (CBG 2711) A, F & G drawn by B-J. Osborne; B–E by M.D. Crisp.