Daviesia alternifolia Endlicher (1838: 11)

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

21. Daviesia alternifolia Endlicher (1838: 11) , Bentham (1864: 73), Crisp (1995: 1169), Wheeler et al. (2002: 742). Type: ‘Habitat in Novae Hollandiae austro-occidentalis colonia King-Georges-Sound (Huegel).’ Type specimen unknown—Endlicher types were in W, but many were destroyed in 1945. Neotype (Crisp 1995: 1169): Western Australia, 1.5 km along Nutcracker Road from Denmark –Mt Barker road, 34°51’S, 117°22’E, J.M. Powell 3160, J. Everett & D. Bedford, 13 November 1985 (CANB); isoneotype: NSW

Daviesia ternata Endlicher (1838: 11) . Daviesia alternifolia Endl. var. ternata (Endl.) E.Pritz. in Diels & E. Pritzel (1904: 247). Type : ‘ Habitat in Novae Hollandiae austro-occidentalis colonia King-Georges-Sound (Huegel)’ (W†). The type is missing, presumably destroyed in 1945. Neotype (Crisp 1995: 1169): Western Australia, Eyre , 7.5 km W of Annie Peak , 33°51’S, 119°54’E, M. D. Crisp 5012, 10 January 1979 (CBG); isoneotype: K, PERTH.

Dense, spreading, multi-stemmed shrubs, to 0.35 m high, minutely hispid on vegetative parts. Root anatomy normal (unistelar). Branchlets spreading, terete, ribbed. Phyllodes scattered, ascending, obovate to narrowly so, acute, mucronate, tapering to the inarticulate base, 25–50(–64) × 4–13 mm; marginal nerves and midrib very prominent, thickening towards the base; venation reticulate, prominent; stipules visible, often fused to the base of the phyllodes, ca. 0.5–2 mm long. Unit inflorescences in the upper axils, umbellate, 2- or 3-flowered, subtended by an involucre of 3 large, elliptic herbaceous bracts that are minutely hispid, 9–13 mm broad, enlarging in fruit to 17– 27 mm broad and becoming scarious; peduncle thickening towards the apex, hispid, 10–50 mm long; barren bracts appressed, scattered along the peduncle, oblong, ca. 3 mm long. Pedicel hispid, ca. 2–3 mm long. Calyx 6–7 mm long including the 1.5–2 mm receptacle, hispid; upper 2 lobes united into a broad, truncate lip, apex acuminate, ca. 2 mm long; lower 3 lobes triangular, acuminate, ca. 2 mm long. Corolla : standard transversely elliptic, emarginate, cordate, 10–12 × 11–15 mm including the ca. 3 mm claw, orange, infused with red that darkens toward the abruptly greenish-yellow centre; wings obovate with rounded, incurved apices but not enclosing the keel, auriculate, 8–11 × 2.5–4 mm including the 3–3.5 mm claw, maroon; keel half depressed-obovate, scarcely acute, inflated, slightly auriculate, saccate, ca. 6–7 × 3 mm including the 2–2.5 mm claw, maroon. Stamens strongly dimorphic: inner whorl of 5 with longer, slightly narrower, terete filaments and versatile anthers with confluent thecae; outer whorl of 5 with shorter, slightly broader, compressed filaments and basifixed, 2-celled anthers; filaments free. Pod obliquely shallowly obtriangular, acute, compressed, ca. 10 × 6 mm; upper suture sigmoid; lower suture obtuse. Seed not seen. ( Fig. 22 ).

Flowering period:— Mainly September to January, though the occasional plant flowers in July. Fruiting period: From November.

Distribution:— Western Australia, south coast and hinterland, mainly from Denmark north-east to the Stirling Range and east to Fitzgerald River National Park (south of Ravensthorpe), with sporadic records as far west as Rosa Brook, south of Busselton.

Habitat:— Grows on white sand, loamy sand with quartz pebbles or laterite, from the top of coastal cliffs to slopes of mountains, in low heath dominated by Hakea H.A. Schrader & J.C. Wendland (1798: 27) , Kingia ( Brown 1826: 211) and Lambertia Smith (1798: 214) , sometimes with emergent Eucalyptus staeri ( Maiden 1914: 230) Kessell & Gardner (1924: 110) .

Selected specimens (72 examined):— WESTERN AUSTRALIA. Darling: Hay River , 34°43’S, 117°35’E, Colonel Goadby B . 2466, October 1899 ( PERTH); lower slopes of Mt Manypeaks , 34°53’S, 118°15’E, J . Taylor 1937 & P . Ollerenshaw, 18 September 1983 ( CBG, MEL, PERTH). Eyre: Whoogarup Range , 33°55’S, 119°50’E, K . M . Allan 179, 8 November 1969 ( CANB, PERTH); ibid., A . S . George 1916, 2 December 1960 ( CANB, PERTH); 16 km W of Bremer Bay , 34°23’S, 119°13’E, T . E .H. Aplin 2744, 30 October 1963 ( MEL, PERTH); ca. 50 km along Highway 1 from Albany to Jerramungup , 0.5 km SW of Cheyne Beach turn-off, 34°49’S, 118°15’E, M .D.

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CRISP ET AL.

Crisp 5079, 13 January 1979 ( CBG); between Ravensthorpe and Hamersley River , R . Gray s.n., 31 December 1923 ( PERTH 5189268 ); 29 km E of Cranbrook, Chester Pass Road , 34°19’S, 117°50’E, A. S . George 402, 14 November 1959 ( PERTH); near Chester Pass, Stirling Ranges [sic], on road to Albany , 34°23’S, 118°06’E, M. E . Phillips s.n., 10 October 1962 ( CBG 22136 ) .

A MONOGRAPH OF DAVIESIA

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Affinity:— Daviesia alternifolia is similar to D. oppositifolia and D. ovata . Daviesia oppositifolia has whorled phyllodes that are generally larger (37–122 × 11–37 mm) than in D. alternifolia and lacks visible stipules; also, the mature involucral bracts of D. oppositifolia are coriaceous, whereas those of D. alternifolia are scarious. The unit inflorescences of both D. oppositifolia and D. ovata are racemose with more flowers (5–10 and 8–11 respectively), and peduncle, pedicel and calyx are glabrous. Additionally, D. ovata differs from D. alternifolia in having much broader phyllodes (14–37 mm broad) with a cuneate base.

Figures

FIGURE 22. Daviesia alternifolia. A. Flowering branchlet with proximal involucral bract removed. B. Infructescence with enlarged involucral bracts, proximal one removed. C. Pod. A from Phillips s.n. (CBG 22136); B, C from George 402. Drawn by A.L. Prowse.