Daviesia spinosissima Meisner (1844: 51)

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

125. Daviesia spinosissima Meisner (1844: 51) , Bentham (1864: 85), Crisp (1995: 1238), Wheeler et al. (2002: 745). Type: ‘In solo glareoso inter frutices prope montem Wuljenup (Plantagenet) d. 8. October 1840. Herb. Preiss. No. 1152.’ Lectotype (Crisp 1995: 1238): LD; isolectotype: NY

Rigid shrubs, to 1.8 m high, glabrous. Root anatomy with anomalous secondary thickening (cord type). Branchlets ascending to erect, terete, prominently ribbed to wrinkled. Phyllodes spreading at ca. 90°, very rigid, crowded and overlapping at the bases, vertically compressed, narrowly to linearly triangular (subulate), straight or gently recurved, apex acuminate, pungent, base thickened and articulate, 7–15 mm long, 1.5–3 (4) mm broad at base, longitudinally wrinkle-ribbed, with thickened margins. Unit inflorescences 1 per axil, 1(2)-flowered; peduncle 0.5– 2 mm long; subtending bracts appressed to the pedicel, oblong, hooded, ca. 1 mm long. Pedicels 3–6 mm long. Calyx 6–7 mm long including the ca. 2 mm receptacle; lobes ± equal, triangular, ca. 1.5 mm long, with the upper 2 lobes united higher than the lower 3. Corolla : standard transversely broadly ovate, emarginate, cordate, abaxially saccate at the base of the lamina, 9.5–11 × 11–12 mm including the 1.5–2 mm claw, with 2 small calli at the base of the lamina, yellow; wings spathulate with a rounded, incurved apex, enclosing the keel, auriculate, 9.5–10 × 4–4.5 mm including the 2–2.5 mm claw, red; keel half very broadly ovate, beaked, auriculate, strongly saccate, 8.5–9 × 2–2.25 mm including the 4–4.5 mm claw, red. Stamens weakly dimorphic: inner whorl of 5 with longer, terete filaments and shorter, versatile anthers; outer whorl of 5 with shorter, broader, compressed filaments and longer, basifixed anthers; filaments all compressed, cohering; anthers all 2-celled. Pod obliquely shallowly obtriangular, acute with a pungent tip, turgid, 10–13 × 7–8 mm; upper suture sigmoid; lower suture acute and broadly rounded. Seed not seen. ( Fig. 126 ).

Flowering period:— October to March. Fruiting period: January to October.

Distribution:— Western Australia, south coast, from Narrikup south-west to near Denmark and east to Mt Manypeaks and Cheyne Beach turnoff.

Habitat:— Sand or gravel in heath with emergent eucalypts such as E. staeri and shrubs such as Hakea , Kingia , Melaleuca and Taxandria ( Bentham 1867: 97) Wheeler & Marchant (2007: 406) .

Selected specimens (18 examined):— WESTERN AUSTRALIA. Darling: 6 km W of Narrikup , 34°46’S, 117°38’E, R. T . Lange 289a, 4 March 1958 ( PERTH); Nornalup , 35°00’S, 116°49’E, H . Steedman s.n., November 1930 ( PERTH 5201632 ). Eyre: Mt Manypeaks area , ca. 34°54’S, 118°15’E, S. P . Pfeiffer s.n. ( PERTH 5475627 ); ca. 50 km along Highway 1 from Albany to Jerramungup, 0.5 km SW of Cheyne Beach turnoff, 34°49’S, 118°15’E, M . D. Crisp 5076, 13 January 1979 ( CBG, K, MEL); 21 km N of Albany , 34°54’S, 117°46’E, K . Newbey 1227, 20 January 1964 ( PERTH); 0.5 km SW of Cheyne Beach turnoff on Highway No. 1 between from Albany and Jerramungup, 34°30’S, 118°36’E, M . D. Tindale 306 & B. R . Maslin, 22 March 1970 ( NSW, PERTH) .

Affinity:— Daviesia preissii is similar to D. spinosissima , but differs in having slightly ascending (though gently falcate) phyllodes that are not overlapping along the branchlets, and the standard has calli at the base of the lamina but lacks sacci on the outside at the base. Superficially, D. angulata resembles D. spinosissima , but has angular branchlets with sharp, raised ridges, and the phyllodes are not crowded along the branchlets and lack a thickened articulation at the base; also, the inflorescences are racemose and 2–4-flowered with a longer peduncle (2–6 mm) and smaller flowers (e.g. standard 6–7 × 5–7.5 mm).

274 • Phytotaxa 300 (1) © 2017 Magnolia Press

CRISP ET AL.

A MONOGRAPH OF DAVIESIA

Phytotaxa 300 (1) © 2017 Magnolia Press • 275 276 • Phytotaxa 300 (1) © 2017 Magnolia Press

CRISP ET AL.

Figures

FIGURE 126. Daviesia spinosissima. A. Flowering branchlet. B. Inflorescence (1-flowered). C. Pod. A from Tindale 306; B from Crisp 5076; C from Newbey 1227. Drawn by A.L. Prowse.