Daviesia croniniana Mueller (1894a: 194)

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

26. Daviesia croniniana Mueller (1894a: 194) , Mueller (1894b: 189), Crisp (1995: 1185). Type: ‘Towards Lake- Lefroy; Cronin.’ Holotype: MEL; isotype: K

Round, bushy shrubs 0.5–2 m high, branching in a regularly fasciculate pattern, densely hispid along branchlets, villous on phyllodes and calyces. Root anatomy normal (unistelar). Branchlets ribbed. Phyllodes erect in dense fascicles at branchlet tips, absent or reduced to scales below; fasciculate phyllodes erect, linear, compressed, ribbed, broadest near the apex and tapering to the base, cuspidate, with a thickened articulation at base, 28–50 × 1– 2 mm. Seedling phyllodes ± evenly distributed along the branchlets at the base, becoming fasciculate at about 10 cm plant height, 15–25 × 2–3 mm. Unit inflorescences condensed racemes, 2- or 3-flowered; peduncle ca. 1.5 mm long; rachis <0.5 mm long; subtending and barren bracts clustered at the base of the peduncle, lightly keeled, spreading at the tips. Pedicels 6–8 mm long. Calyx 4–5.5 mm long including the 1–1.5 mm receptacle; upper 2 lobes united higher than the lower 3, either shallowly-triangular with slightly recurved lobes or rounded with markedly recurved lobes, ca. 1 mm long; lower 3 lobes triangular, ca. 0.75 mm long. Corolla : standard depressed-obovate, deeply emarginate, 9–11 × 10–12 mm including the 2–3 mm claw, yellow or orange, infused with red ring around the yellow centre; wings obovate with a rounded, incurved, overlapping apex, enclosing the apex of the keel, deeply auriculate, with a small lobe opposite the auricles on the abaxial margin, 7.5–8.5 × 3–4 mm including the 2.5–3 mm claw, maroon; keel half depressed-obovate with a ± obtuse apex, base saccate or not, 6 × 2.5–3 mm including the ca. 2 mm claw. Stamens strongly dimorphic: inner whorl of 5 with slightly longer filaments and shorter, rounder, versatile anthers with confluent thecae; outer whorl of 5 with slightly shorter, broader, compressed filaments and longer, narrower (oblong) 2-celled, basifixed anthers; filaments free. Pod obliquely very shallowly obtriangular, beaked, 12–14 × (7) 8–9 mm; upper suture almost straight; lower suture acute. Seed not seen. ( Fig. 27 ).

Flowering period:— August to January. Fruiting period: One specimen seen fruiting in November.

Distribution:— Western Australia, from the Coolgardie area south to Marble Rocks and west to Cunderdin.

Habitat:— Sand to gravelly sand on sandplains and kwongan heathland, usually dominated by mallee eucalypts, Allocasuarina and Grevillea .

Selected specimens (55 examined):— WESTERN AUSTRALIA. Coolgardie: Near Boorabbin, 294 mile peg Great Eastern Highway , 31°12’S, 120°19’E, T. E. H . Aplin 1938, 11 September 1962 ( PERTH); 43 km SE of Marvel Loch on Mt Day Road , 31°42’S, 119°49’E, B. H . Smith 529, 6 November 1984 ( CBG, HO, MEL, PERTH); 83 km W of Coolgardie , 31°11’S, 120°24’E, M. E . Phillips WA/62 744A, 17 September 1962 ( CBG, L, PERTH). Roe: Ca. 55 km E of Hyden, 4.5 km NE of Marble Rocks, 32°30’S, 119°27’E, M . D. Crisp 5554, 29 January 1979 ( CBG, K, MEK, PERTH)

Affinity:— The combination of the distinctively fasciculate pattern of branching, the arrangement of the erect phyllodes into dense terminal fascicles with flowers emerging from the fascicle bases, and the densely villous indumentum, give these plants a unique appearance that could not be confused with any other species of Daviesia .

A MONOGRAPH OF DAVIESIA

Phytotaxa 300 (1) © 2017 Magnolia Press • 73 74 • Phytotaxa 300 (1) © 2017 Magnolia Press

CRISP ET AL.

A MONOGRAPH OF DAVIESIA

Figures

FIGURE 27. Daviesia croniniana. A. Flowering branchlet. B. Phyllode showing indumentum. C. Inflorescence with floral parts except calyces removed. D. Pod. A, B from Aplin 1938; B, C from Crisp 5554. Drawn by A.L. Prowse.