Daviesia newbeyi Crisp (1991a: 266)

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

42. Daviesia newbeyi Crisp (1991a: 266) , Crisp (1995: 1213). Type [approximate locality data given because the species is rare]: Western Australia, S of Ravensthorpe , K.R. Newbey 5122, 18 September 1978. Holotype: CBG; isotypes: AD, BISH, BRI, K, L, MEL, MO, NSW, PERTH

Bushy, multi-stemmed, broom-like shrubs to 1.5 m tall (sometimes much lower, 20–50 cm), shooting from root suckers, appearing glabrous but minutely scabrous along phyllode margins and branchlet ribs, sometimes glaucous. Root anatomy unknown. Branchlets erect, angular with prominent ridges; lateral branchlets often short and ± spinescent. Phyllodes somewhat crowded, erect, narrowly oblong to linear, obtuse, apex mucronate and slightly recurved, margins thickened and usually slightly recurved, contracted to the articulate base, 5–40 × 1.5–3.5 mm, rigid, dull yellow-green or glaucous; venation longitudinal but obscure; phyllodes reduced towards branchlet apex and often twisted spirally up to one turn; stipules present but minute, ca. 0.1 mm long. Unit inflorescences 1 per axil, 1-flowered; peduncle 0.75–4 mm long; barren basal bracts similar to subtending bracts but progressively smaller downwards; subtending bracts ± reclinate, narrowly oblong, 0.75–1.5 mm long, margins folded inwards, apex strongly incurved. Pedicels 2–5 mm long, curved or bent upward above the middle. Calyx 4.75–5.5 mm long including the ca. 1.5 mm receptacle to which it is contracted, obscurely 5-ribbed, ± tinged purple on ribs, apices and sinuses; lobes ± acuminate; upper 2 united in a truncate emarginate lip, 1–1.5 mm long; lower 3 lobes broadly triangular, 0.75–1 mm long. Corolla : standard depressed-ovate, emarginate, 7.5–8 × 7.5–8 mm including the 2–3

A MONOGRAPH OF DAVIESIA

Phytotaxa 300 (1) © 2017 Magnolia Press • 101 mm claw, orange with dark red markings surrounding an intensely yellow cuneate spot at centre; wings obovate-oblong or elliptic-oblong, rounded and incurved at apex, strongly auriculate, ca. 6 × 2–2.5 mm including the ca. 2 mm claw, dark red, paler at tips; keel half transversely elliptic, acute, saccate, auriculate, 5–5.25 × 2.25–2.5 mm including the 1.5–2.5 mm claw, dark red. Stamens strongly dimorphic: inner whorl of 5 with longer, slender, angular filaments and discoid-ovoid, versatile anthers with confluent thecae; outer whorl of 5 with shorter, broader, compressed filaments and compressed, ovoid to oblong, basifixed, 2-celled anthers; filaments free, adaxial 3 dilated upwards. Pod obliquely shallowly obtriangular, acute, compressed, 9–11 × 6–7 mm, reticulate; upper suture sigmoid; lower suture acute. Seed not seen. ( Fig. 41 ).

Flowering period:— August to early October (individual plants flower for long periods). Fruiting period: Unknown.

Distribution:— Known from a few scattered localities in southern Western Australia. Three localities (including the type) are south of Ravensthorpe and other populations are near Lake Grace, south of Coolgardie and NE of Esperance.

Habitat:— At the type locality, D. newbeyi grows in stony arkosic sand over granitic parent material on an

102 • Phytotaxa 300 (1) © 2017 Magnolia Press

CRISP ET AL.

exposed, well-drained slope, in open-heath. A nearby population is on skeletal clay in tall heath dominated by Allocasuarina . At the site south of Coolgardie (Crisp 5912), the substrate is yellow sand and the vegetation a tall closed-heath dominated by mallee eucalypts and other myrtaceous shrubs. The species is also known from sand over limestone.

Conservation status:— National: Not listed. WA: Priority 3, possibly threatened or near-threatened but not yet adequately surveyed.

Selected specimens (12 examined):— Approximate locality data are given because the species is rare. WESTERN AUSTRALIA. Coolgardie : SSW of Coolgardie, 31°30’S, 120°50’E, M . D. Crisp 5912 et al., 18 September 1979 ( CBG). Roe : N of Kuender, 32°50’S, 118°30’E, C. E . & D.T. Woolcock D 229, 18 September 1982 ( CBG); vicinity of Mt Buraminya , 33°20’S, 123°10’E, W. R . Archer 1008911, 10 August 1991 ( CBG, MEL). Eyre : NW of Hopetoun, 33°50’S, 120°E, M . D. Crisp 5034, 3 January 1979 ( CBG, PERTH); ibid., K . Newbey, 30 May 1970 ( PERTH); S of Ravensthorpe , 33°40’S, 120°E, C. E . & D.T. Woolcock D228, 18 September 1982 ( CBG) .

Affinity:— In morphology, D. newbeyi appears closely related to D. grahamii , and this is supported by cladistic analysis. These species share three synapomorphies within the D. latifolia group ( Crisp 1991a): single-flowered unit inflorescences, acuminate calyx-lobes and scabrid vestiture. Nevertheless, D. newbeyi is readily diagnosed from D. grahamii . The latter differs in having smaller calyces (3–3.5 mm long including the receptacle) with the upper 2 lobes not or scarcely more united than the lower 3. Also, the pods of D. grahamii are shorter (6–8 mm long) and are differently shaped, being distinctly rounded overall and obtuse at the apex. Both species have discernible stipules but in D. grahamii they are much larger, being 0.6–1.1 mm long and visible to the naked eye. Furthermore, D. grahamii lacks the distinctive bract shape (folded upwards longitudinally, with a sharply incurved apex) seen in D. newbeyi . Usually, D. grahamii has multiple unit inflorescences per axil, whereas D. newbeyi has only singles.

Variation:— Most specimens of D. newbeyi are consistently similar and all show the diagnostic characters described above. However, the collection Crisp 5912 from south of Coolgardie appears somewhat different. The plant was very low in stature (10–20 cm) compared with the heights recorded for the others (0.5–1.5 m), although this may only reflect recent burning. Also, the phyllodes are twisted about their long axis by up to a single turn, a character not seen in the other specimens. Thirdly, the phyllodes are somewhat glaucous, like those of Woolcock D229, which is otherwise typical of the species. Further collections are needed to determine the significance of these small differences. Meanwhile, we include this specimen in D. newbeyi because it shows the diagnostic characters of the species.

Figures

FIGURE 41. Daviesia newbeyi. A. Flowering branchlet. B, C. Single-flowered inflorescences. D. Calyx opened out, upper lobes at left. E. Standard. F. Wings. G. Keel. H. Same, opened out. I. Pod. A–H from Newbey 5122 (type); I from Crisp 5034. Drawn by B-J. Osborne and D. Fortescue. Adapted from Crisp (1991a) with permission from CSIRO Publishing.