Daviesia buxifolia Bentham (1864: 75)

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

47. Daviesia buxifolia Bentham (1864: 75) , Crisp (1991a: 277), Crisp (1995: 1179), Jeanes (1996: 759), ( Crisp 2002: 525). Daviesia latifolia Brown (1811: 20) var. buxifolia (Benth.) Moore & Betche (1893: 133) . Type: ‘N. S. Wales. Between Wombin river & False Bay, Mossman . Victoria. Avon Ranges, Macalister & Genoa rivers, F. Mueller. W. Australia ‘King George’s Sound’ (probably to the eastward), Baxter.’ Lectotype ( Crisp 1991a: 277): Avon Ranges, F. Mueller s.n. (K—sheet ex Herb. Hooker, annotated ‘Negative No. Kew 919’); isolectotype: K (sheet ex Herb. Linnean Society), LD, MEL 77794, 77796, 77798 &77799. Syntype: Wombin [Wonboyn] River–False Bay, S. Mossman 236, 1850 (K—sheet ex Herb. Benth.); isosyntypes: BRI, CGE, E, FI, FI-W (2 sheets), K (sheet of uncertain origin but not seen by Bentham), P. Syntype: Avon River, also common on the Genoa River, F. Mueller s.n. (MEL 77795); isosyntypes: BM, MEL 77800, NSW. Syntype: Ranges on the McAllister River, F. Mueller s.n. (K); isosyntypes: MEL 77797, W. Two further syntypes appear to be intermediate between D. buxifolia and D. mimosoides . These are: K.G. Sound, Baxter s.n. (K) [locality apparently mistaken] and Avon River, F. Mueller s.n. (MEL 79004)

[ Daviesia latifolia auct . non R.Br.: Mueller (1888: 203)]

Glabrous shrubs, 0.5–2 m high; crown usually open with graceful, somewhat weeping branches, occasionally more compact and bushy, glabrous. Root anatomy unknown. Branchlets ascending or spreading, angular-terete, ribbed. Phyllodes often crowded, spreading to reclinate, ovate, broadly so or orbicular, undulate, apically rounded, obtuse or rarely acute, marginally crenulate, basally cordate or truncate, articulate, 3–30(–40) × 3–21 mm, with slightly raised pinnate venation, glossy, bright to dark green. Juvenile phyllodes similar to adults but thinner and slightly larger (to 37 × 27 mm). Unit inflorescences 1(2) per axil, subcorymbose, 4–7-flowered; peduncle 5–10 mm long; rachis 3–15 mm long; subtending bracts appressed to pedicels, narrowly oblong, fimbriate at apex, with incurved margins, 0.75–1 mm long, red-brown. Pedicels 2–6 mm long. Calyx 3.25–5 mm long including the 1–1.5 mm stipe-like receptacle to which it is contracted; upper 2 lobes united in a truncate or obtuse, scarcely notched lip, ca. 1 mm long; lower 3 lobes shallowly triangular, thickened and darkened at apices, ca. 0.5 mm long. Corolla : standard strongly reflexed, very broadly obovate, obcordate, cuneate at base, ca. 6.5 × 6.5 mm including the 2 mm

A MONOGRAPH OF DAVIESIA

Phytotaxa 300 (1) © 2017 Magnolia Press • 111 claw, yellow or orange-yellow with maroon-brown markings surrounding an intensely yellow bilobed centre; wings obovate or narrow-obovate to -elliptic, incurved at apex but not enclosing the keel, auriculate, 5.5–6.75 × 1.75–2.25 mm including the ca. 2 mm claw, maroon-brown centrally with orange to yellow margins and tips; keel half very broadly obovate, falcate, subacute, saccate, auriculate, ca. 4 × 2 mm including the 1.5 mm claw, maroon-brown with yellowish tip. Stamens strongly dimorphic: inner whorl of 5 with longer, terete filaments and subversatile, discoid anthers with confluent thecae; outer whorl of 5 with shorter, broader, compressed filaments and oblong, basifixed, 2-celled anthers; filaments compressed, free. Pod obliquely shallowly obtriangular, rarely crescentic, acute to obtuse, compressed, 6–7(–9) × (4) 5–6 mm, smooth or faintly reticulate, glossy red-brown; upper suture sigmoid; lower suture acute but broadly to sharply curved. Seed obloid, ca. 3.5 mm long, ca. 2 mm broad, ca. 1 mm thick, glossy, dark brown mottled with black; aril narrowly oblong, ca. 1.5 mm long. ( Fig. 46 ).

Common name:— Box-leaf Bitter-pea.

Flowering period:— October and November. Fruiting period: Probably November and December.

Distribution:— Occurs on the south coast of New South Wales between Eden and the Victorian border, with an isolated more northerly occurrence in the Tuross River valley; and in Victoria, in east Gippsland (Cann River valley), central Gippsland (between the Tambo and Macalister River valleys) and in the north-eastern highlands at Mitta Mitta and near Myrtleford.

Habitat:— Daviesia buxifolia generally occurs in mountainous terrain where it may occupy ridges, slopes or valley floors. Soils are usually skeletal and clayey, although the species has been observed on granitic sand. Associated vegetation is usually open forest dominated by Eucalyptus species, especially stringybarks and ashes. The understorey of the forest habitat consists of sclerophyll shrubs.

Selected specimens (77 examined):— NEW SOUTH WALES. South Coast: Near Green Cape Lighthouse,

112 • Phytotaxa 300 (1) © 2017 Magnolia Press

CRISP ET AL.

37°11’S, 149°55’E, M.D. Crisp 1914, 25 January 1976 ( CBG, NSW, PERTH); 30 km SW of Eden , 37°16’S, 149°41’E, M. D. Crisp 3475, 25 October 1977 ( CBG, MEL, NSW); Towamba, toward Eden , 37°06’S, 149°49’E, M. D. Crisp 4618–23 & I. R. Telford, 3 November 1978 ( CBG); Tumbledown Mountain, Nadgee , 37°21’S, 149°56’E, P. Gilmour N47 , 6 October 1982 ( CBG); Wonboyne Lake, Nadgee , 37°16’S, 149°56’E, M. E. Phillips 142, 9 October 1961 ( CBG); 26 km N of Cobargo , 36°09’S, 149°52’E, A. & C. Tyrrel 166, 3 October 1978 ( CBG). VICTORIA. Gippsland: Mitta Mitta , 36°32’S, 147°22’E, S. F. Clinton 210, 26 October 1919 ( MEL); near Bullumwaal , 37°39’S, 147°32’E, A. C. Corrick s.n., 8 October 1977 ( MEL 526801 ); Dargo Road , 37°40’S, 147°12’E, M. G. Corrick 6158, 11 November 1978 ( CBG, MEL). Eastern Highlands : 15 km S of Beechworth , 36°29’S, 146°39’E, M. D. Crisp 7102, 27 February 1983 ( CBG, MEL); 7.5 km SE of Licola , 37°41’S, 147°40’E, P. K. Gullan 350 & V. B. Turner, 21 June 1978 ( MEL); Taylors Gap , 36°29’S, 146°39’E, R. K. Rowe s.n., 3 December 1972 ( MEL 77806 ) .

Affinity:— Daviesia buxifolia is closely related to D. elliptica and D. mimosoides . These species have essentially similar inflorescences, flowers and fruits. However, D. buxifolia is well distinguished from most forms of D. mimosoides by its phyllodes, which are ovate to orbicular, undulate, cordate or truncate at the base, crenulate at the margins, and glossy bright or dark green. In D. mimosoides , the phyllodes are usually narrowly elliptic, tapered to the base, entire or obscurely crenulate and dull green to glaucescent. Daviesia elliptica is the sister-taxon of D. buxifolia and is very similar. It differs from D. mimosoides in having phyllodes which are elliptic, obscurely crenulate, with bases rounded to cuneate, never cordate.

Economic properties:— A note attached to a specimen of D. buxifolia from Gippsland states that the plant is called ‘Hop-bush’ and is ‘said to be eaten by cattle’ (Gippsland, R. Millard 9 [?], 8 Aug 1900, NSW 35257 ) .

Hybrids:— Daviesia buxifolia × D. latifolia , D. buxifolia × D. mimosoides ( Crisp 1991a) .

Figures

FIGURE 46. Daviesia buxifolia. A. Flowering branchlet. B. Flower in lateral view. C. Calyx opened out, upper lip at right. D. Standard. E. Wings. F. Keel. G. Same, opened out. A from Crisp 4621; B–G from Crisp 3475. Drawn by A.L. Prowse and D. Fortescue. Adapted from Crisp (1991a) with permission from CSIRO Publishing.