Daviesia physodes A.Cunn. ex Don (1832: 125)

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

109. Daviesia physodes A.Cunn. ex Don (1832: 125) , Crisp (1984: 167), Crisp (1987a: 252), Crisp (1995: 1221), Wheeler et al. (2002: 745). Type: ‘Native of New Holland...Clt. 1824.’ Lectotype ( Crisp 1984: 167): Swan River, A. Cunningham (G); isolectotype: E, FI-W, K, OXF

Open shrubs, to 1.8 m tall, glabrous, usually glaucous. Root anatomy with anomalous secondary thickening (cord type). Branchlets ascending, erect or occasionally arching, terete, smooth when fresh. Phyllodes moderately crowded, divaricate or ascending, ± recurved, articulate at base, smooth when fresh, longitudinally wrinkled when dry, venation prominent on broader phyllodes; lower (proximal) phyllodes vertically flattened, cuneate with a bilobed apex, asymmetric with the upper lobe rounded, and lower lobe recurved to reflexed and acicular, up to 55 × 10 mm; upper (distal) phyllodes becoming entire, subulate, pungent, to 22 × 3 mm. Seedling phyllodes ascending, recurved, pungent, at first 4 or 5 nodes small (up to 10 × 2 mm), then at higher nodes becoming large (up to 20 × 8 mm), 2-lobed and with venation prominent, base cuneate and articulate. Unit inflorescences 1 per axil, racemose, 2–4-flowered; peduncle ca. 0.5 mm long; rachis ca. 0.25–0.5 mm long; subtending bracts spreading, spathulate, keeled, hooded, ca. 1 mm long. Pedicels 1.5–3 mm long. Calyx ca. 1.75 mm long including the ca. 0.25 mm receptacle; upper 2 lobes united into a truncate lip; lower 3 lobes shallowly to very shallowly triangular, ca. 0.25 mm long. Corolla : standard very broadly ovate, emarginate, cordate, ca. 7 × 8 mm including the 1.5 mm claw, with a prominent central groove, yellow suffused with pink, with a blackish centre, fading with age; wings obovate with a rounded and incurved apex enclosing the keel, auriculate, 5.5–6 × 2.5 mm including the 1.5 mm claw, pink to red; keel half transversely broadly ovate, beaked, auriculate, saccate, ca. 7–7.5 × 2 mm including the 3.5–4 mm claw, pink to red. Stamens weakly dimorphic: inner whorl of 5 with longer, thinner filaments and shorter, versatile anthers; outer whorl of 5 with shorter, broader filaments and longer, slender, basifixed anthers; filaments very broad and compressed towards the base, firmly cohering into a tube except upper quarter; anthers all 2-celled. Pod obliquely shallowly to very shallowly obtriangular, beaked, swollen, 11–16 × 9–11 mm; upper suture slightly sigmoid to recurved; lower suture acute. Seed ellipsoid, 3.3–4.5 mm long, 2–3.5 mm broad, ca. 1.5 mm thick, black; aril 2–2.2 mm long. ( Fig. 108F, G ).

Flowering period:— July to November. Fruiting period: September to January.

Distribution:— Western Australia, coastal plains and the Darling Range, from Geraldton south to Augusta and east to Narrogin.

Habitat:— Grows in sandy soils in Eucalyptus dominated open forest or Banksia- dominated kwongan shrubland.

Selected specimens (128 examined):— WESTERN AUSTRALIA. Irwin : 13 km WSW of Winchester, 29°47’S, 115°47’E, C . Chapman (58)77, 24 August 1977 ( CBG, PERTH); Geraldton, 28°46’S, 114°37’E, Dr. Stoward s.n., September 1917 ( PERTH 5202205 ). Avon : Mt Pleasant , 31°33’S, 116°37’E, K . Newbey s.n., 29 August 1963 ( PERTH 5197880 ); Upper Swan River , Sewell s.n., 1883 ( MEL 81348 ). Darling: 11.5 km from Bussell Highway to Ambergate, E. M . Bennett 1284, 21 September 1966 ( PERTH); 18 km from Busselton along road to Margaret River , 1 km S of Carbunup River, 33°43’S, 115°10’E, M . D. Crisp 5365, 21 January 1979 ( CBG); N of 40 mile peg Perth–Moora Road , 31°30’S, 116°05’E, C . Chapman (70)77, 1 September 1977 ( CBG, MO); N of Perth along Geraldton Highway , ca. 31°30’S, 115°59’E, C . Chapman (89)77, 27 September 1977 ( CBG, PERTH); Busselton–Bunbury Road area , L. J . Webb 2941, 26 August 1958 ( BRI); ca. 45 km N of Perth, Muchea, 31°35’S, 115°58’E, M . D. Crisp 6206, et al., 29 September 1979 ( CBG, L, MEL, PERTH) .

Affinity:— Daviesia physodes could be confused with D. brachyphylla , D. incrassata and D. inflata . Daviesia incrassata differs in always having basally non-articulate phyllodes. Daviesia brachyphylla can be distinguished by its terete adult phyllodes. Adult plants of D. physodes can usually be diagnosed by the presence of intermediate phyllodes that are dilated upwards and bilobed, though when these are absent (e.g. Crisp 6206 and Chapman (58)77), the plant can be difficult to distinguish from D. brachyphylla . Moreover, the upper phyllodes of D. physodes often appear terete, also confusing identification, though upon closer examination, most are actually slightly vertically compressed. Upper phyllodes of D. brachyphylla are always terete and typically 1.5–3 mm long,

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CRISP ET AL.

i.e. shorter than those of D. physodes . Occasionally, the lower phyllodes of D. brachyphylla can be up to 60 mm long and slightly compressed. The articulate phyllodes immediately distinguish D. physodes from D. incrassata , which has decurrent phyllodes. Daviesia inflata can be distinguished from D. physodes by the strictly terete phyllodes that are not dilated towards the apex, the calyx being dark with paler margins, and by the standard colour, which is orange-red with a slight pink infusion towards margins, dark red towards centre, and with a central vertical yellow guide mark.

Figures

FIGURE 108. Daviesia brachyphylla. A. Flowering upper branchlet with typical adult phyllodes. B. Elongate phyllode from lower part of adult plant. C. Transverse section of phyllode in B. D. Inflorescence. E. Fruiting branchlet with most phyllodes reduced to scales. Daviesia physodes. F. Fruiting branchlet showing transition from bilobed lower phyllodes to entire upper phyllodes. G. Intermediate phyllode from lower part of plant. A, D from Crisp 6180; B, C from Crisp 5512; E from Crisp 4990; F from Chapman (89)77; G from Chapman (70)77. Drawn by B-J. Osborne.