Daviesia teretifolia R.Br. ex Bentham (1864: 82)

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

116. Daviesia teretifolia R.Br. ex Bentham (1864: 82) , Crisp (1995: 1239). Type: ‘W. Australia. King George’s Sound , Baxter; Phillips Ranges and Cape Arid, Maxwell. ’ Lectotype (Crisp 1995: 1239): Cape Arid, Maxwell, Herb. F . Mueller ( K, ex Herb. Hooker); isolectotype: MEL 80425 . Syntype: K. G . Sound , N . Holland, Baxter : ( K, same sheet as lecto); isosyntype: BM . Syntype: Phillips Ranges , Maxwell ( MEL 80424 ); isosyntype: PERTH

Spreading shrubs, to 1.2 m tall, glabrous, pale green to glaucous. Root anatomy either with anomalous secondary thickening (cord type), or unistelar (normal but likely immature). Branchlets spreading to ascending, mostly terete but occasionally tetragonal, occasionally somewhat flexuose, smooth when fresh, striate when dry. Phyllodes crowded, steeply ascending to erect, terete, apically acicular and pungent, base slightly incurved, articulate, 17–47 mm long, 1.5–2 mm broad, smooth when fresh, longitudinally striate when dry. Unit inflorescences 1 per axil, racemose, (2)3- or 4-flowered; peduncle 2–7.5 mm long; rachis 2–7 mm long; subtending bracts spreading, oblong, ca. 0.5 mm long. Pedicels (3–) 8–15 mm long, fimbriate at apex. Calyx 4.5–5.5 mm long including the 1.5– 2.5 mm, often stipe-like receptacle; upper 2 lobes united into a broad, truncate lip or united higher than the lower 3 and triangular, ca. 1 mm long; lower 3 lobes triangular, ca. 1 mm long. Corolla : standard transversely broadly elliptic, emarginate, cordate, 7.5–8.5 × 7–9.5 mm including the ca. 1.5 mm claw, with a thick ridge on the reverse side, occasionally with 2 small calli present at the base of the lamina, yellow to orange with a dark red to black centre; wings obovate with a rounded, slightly incurved apex and not overlapping the keel, auriculate, 7–8 × 3–3.5 mm including the ca. 2 mm claw, dark red to maroon; keel half very broadly elliptic, with an inflexed beak, slightly auriculate, saccate, 7.5–8 × 1.75–2.5 mm including the 3–4 mm claw, dark red to maroon. Stamens moderately dimorphic: inner whorl of 5 with longer, thinner, terete filaments and slightly shorter, versatile anthers; outer whorl of 5 with shorter, broad, compressed filaments and slightly longer, basifixed anthers; anthers all 2-celled; filaments free. Pod obliquely shallowly obtriangular, acute, acuminate or beaked, turgid, 13–16 × 8–11.5 mm; upper suture sigmoid to upcurved; lower suture 90° to obtuse. Seed not seen. ( Fig. 117 ).

Flowering period:— May to October. Fruiting period: September to January.

Distribution:— Western Australia, near the south coast from Bremer Bay to Israelite Bay.

Habitat:— Grows in red lateritic gravel to sand on gentle midslopes of hills, sandy ridges and flat sandplains, in tall kwongan shrubland dominated by Eucalyptus preissiana and Banksia , or by Allocasuarina , Banksia , Grevillea and Hakea .

Selected specimens (16 examined):— WESTERN AUSTRALIA. Roe: Junction of Rollond Road with Cascade Road, ca. 40 km N of Munglinup, 33°20’S, 120°53’E, J . Taylor 1676 & P . Ollerenshaw, 11 September 1983 ( AD, CBG, MEL, PERTH); 75 km NE of Ravensthorpe, 4 km W of Dunn Swamp , 33°10’S, 120°40’E, M . D. Crisp 6040, 21 September 1979 ( CBG, PERTH). Eyre : S slopes of Mt Desmond , 33°37’S, 120°09’E, M . D. Crisp 8987 & W . Keys, 21 October 1996, cord roots ( CBG, PERTH); 4.5 km SSW of Tower Peak ( Mt Ragged ), 33°29’S, 123°28’E, M . D. Crisp 4851, 6 January 1979 ( CBG, PERTH); Cape Arid National Park , 14 km SW of Israelite Bay, 33°41’S, 123°44’E, R . Borough 6, 2 September 1978 ( CBG, K, PERTH); 13 km N of Hopetoun , 33°51’S, 120°10’E, E. M . Bennett 2580, 2 September 1968 ( CANB, PERTH); 62 km W of Ravensthorpe towards Ongerup , 33°46’S, 119°34’E, P. G . Wilson 5404, 3 October 1966 ( CANB, PERTH) .

Affinity:— This species is very similar to four other species of Daviesia with more or less erect, terete phyllodes: D. grossa , D. apiculata , D. lineata and D. oxylobium . Daviesia grossa is most similar and differs mainly in being both a larger shrub (to 3 m high) and larger in all its parts (e.g. calyx 7–8 mm long and standard 14.5–17 mm long) with the wings strongly incurved at the apex and overlapping the keel. Daviesia teretifolia is sympatric with D. grossa , growing in the heathland around the base of the Russell Range, on the slopes of which D. grossa is found. There is no suggestion of morphological intergradation between these species; moreover, D. teretifolia flowers in winter and spring, whilst D. grossa flowers in summer and autumn.

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Superficially, D. teretifolia resembles D. oxylobium very closely, mainly in the erect, clavate, pungent phyllodes; however, the phyllode striations are more sharply defined in D. oxylobium . Moreover, D. oxylobium is easily distinguished by its conspicuously longer pedicels (1–3 mm long) and larger flowers (e.g. calyx 2.5–3 mm long, standard 4–5.5 × 5.5–6 mm).

Daviesia apiculata has also been confused with D. teretifolia , but differs in having an apiculate, semi-pungent (not acicular) phyllode apex, relatively narrower wing petals (1.5–1.75 mm broad) and a compressed pod that is acute rather than beaked. Occasionally, D. teretifolia has united upper calyx lobes (like those of D. apiculata ), though the upper 2 lobes are usually united higher than the lower 3 as opposed to united.

Daviesia lineata differs in being a larger plant (to 2.5 m high), and the phyllodes are narrower (<1 mm diam.), distinctly apiculate, dull yellow to dull green and lack the fine striations of D. teretifolia ; additionally, D. lineata has longer pedicels (4–8 mm long).

A MONOGRAPH OF DAVIESIA

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Figures

FIGURE 117. Daviesia teretifolia. A. Flowering branchlet. B. Inflorescence, flowers represented only by calyces. C. Pod. A, B from Crisp 6040; C from Crisp 4851. Drawn by A.L. Prowse.