Daviesia devito Crisp & L.G.Cook

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

79. Daviesia devito Crisp & L.G.Cook , nom. & stat. nov.

Basionym: Daviesia benthamii Meisner (1844: 48) subsp. humilis Crisp (1982b: 60) , Crisp (1995: 1176, partly), Crisp (2002: 524, partly), Jeanes (1996: 761, partly), Craigie (2015: 29, partly). Type [approximate locality data given because the species is rare in SA]: South Australia, Flinders Range, Wilpena Pound, 31°30’S, 138°40’E, M.D. Crisp 931, 22 October 1974. Holotype: CANB; isotype: K.

This species was previously included in D. benthamii as subsp. humilis , but here we divide that subspecies into two cryptic species ( D. devito and D. schwarzenegge r). Daviesia devito is distinguished from its cryptic twin D. schwarzenegger by having minute (ca. 1 mm), triangular, dark red stipules, ribbed rather than wrinkled branchlets and phyllodes (when dry), and its overall more slender, less robust appearance.

Dense, often depressed shrubs, 0.3–1(–1.5) m high, 0.5–1.5(–3) m wide, spreading from a central rootstock, glabrous, dull green to yellow-green. Root anatomy with anomalous secondary thickening (cord type). Branchlets ascending to divaricate, longitudinally ribbed or wrinkled when dried, glabrous, spinescent. Phyllodes scattered, divaricate, terete, apically acicular, pungent, basally inarticulate, 5–30 mm long, 1–1.75 mm diam. at base, ribbed when dried, reduced to scales towards the base of branches, or rarely absent along the entire branchlet length (e.g. Bates 66311, Beauglehole 87537); minute stipules consistently present as small, deltoid scales (<1 mm long). Unit inflorescences single or paired racemes of 2–5 flowers in the axils; several barren basal bracts present, rachis mostly <10 mm long, angular; subtending bracts keeled, striate, minutely ciliate at margins, reflexing from the base, 1.5 mm long, decurrent on the rachis, maroon and green; pedicels 1–1.5 mm long, not enlarging. Calyx ca. 2 mm long including receptacle, grey-purple, often with white pellucid dots, sometimes pruinose towards the base or viscid; upper lobes united into a narrow emarginate lip, lower lobes triangular, acute or apiculate, fimbriate on inner margins;. Corolla : standard transversely elliptic, retuse, 5–6 × ca. 5 mm including the ca. 1 mm claw; adaxially yellow to red, centrally yellow-green with a red-brown jagged margin; wings obovate, rounded and incurved but not enclosing the keel, auriculate, 4–4.5 × 1.75–2.5 mm including the ca. 1 mm claw, orange-brown; keel half transversely broadly elliptic, acute, auriculate, saccate, ca. 4 × 1.5 mm including the 1.5 mm claw, slightly beaked, deep maroon grading to whitish towards the base. Stamens strongly dimorphic: inner whorl of 5 with longer, slender, terete filaments and shorter, round, versatile anthers with confluent thecae; outer whorl of 5 with shorter, broader, compressed filaments and longer, oblong, basifixed, 2-celled anthers; filaments free. Pod very broadly obovate to obtriangular, scarcely acute to slightly obtuse, strongly compressed, 5–7 × 4–6 mm, slightly rounded in outline; upper suture slightly sigmoid; lower suture acute but broadly rounded. Seed turgid, reniform, ca. 2.8 mm long, 2 mm broad, 1.3 mm thick, cream with black mottling; aril cream to yellow, thickly lobed, continuous, 1.2–1.3 mm long. ( Fig. 74C–J ).

Etymology:— The name refers to the actor playing the diminutive twin in the Universal Studios film ‘Twins’ (1988). Daviesia devito is the less vigorous of two cryptic species into which we here divide D. benthamii subsp. humilis , in contrast to the much more robust D. schwarzenegger (see more detail under that species). The epithet has been changed, rather than simply making a new combination for the subspecies name (on whose type D. devito is based), to avoid confusion caused by splitting the subspecies into two species.

Flowering period:— September and October. Fruiting period: December and January.

Distribution:— This species is scattered through mallee districts from Eyre Peninsula in South Australia to western Victoria and north-east to Condoblin area, New South Wales.

Habitat:— Grows in a variety of substrates, e.g. skeletal or lateritic soils, sandy loam over limestone, or gravelly clay; in mallee dominated by Eucalyptus spp. , but occasionally in heath or woodland.

Conservation status:— National: Not listed. SA: Rare (listed as D. benthamii subsp. humilis ).

Selected specimens (50 examined):— Approximate locality data are given for SA because the species is listed as rare there. SOUTH AUSTRALIA. Eyre Peninsula: NW of Witera, ca. 33°00’S, 134°30’E, J. D. Briggs 1158, 8 September 1983 ( AD, CBG, MEL, NSW) ; near Lock , 33°30’S, 135°50’E, M. D.Crisp 9318 & L. G. Cook ( CANB, PERTH). Lofty North: NNE of Freeling, 34°20’S, 138°50’E, M. D. Crisp 7903, 1 January 1987 ( AD, CBG, PERTH) . Lofty South : N of Nuriootpa, 34°30’S, 139°00’E, M. D. Crisp 9409 & L. G. Cook, 24 October 2001 ( CANB) . Murray Basin : Monarto South area, 35°10’S, 139°10’E, T. Reichstein TR1524 , 22 December 1971 ( AD, CANB) ; Milang Area , 35°20’S, 139° E, D. E. Symon 13280, 13 October 1983 ( CANB, K, L, MO, NA, US) . South-east : near Wolseley, 36°20’S, 141°E, R. J. Bates 66311, October 2005 ( AD) . NEW SOUTH WALES. South Western Plains : NW of Condoblin, 32°50’S, 147°E, G. M. Cunningham & P. L. Milthorpe 4107, 26 October 1975

182 • Phytotaxa 300 (1) © 2017 Magnolia Press

CRISP ET AL.

(CANB). Central-west Slopes: 1.1 km S of West Wyalong town limit along road to Narrandera (Newell Highway), 33°55’S, 147°11’E, M . D. Crisp 9422 & L. G . Cook, 14 September 2002 ( CANB, NSW). VICTORIA. Northern Plains: Western Little Desert reference area, ca. 36°35’S, 141°05’E, A. C . Beauglehole 87537, 16 November 1986 ( CANB, MEL); Wail State Forest , 36°30’S, 142°03’E, A. C . Beauglehole 86133, 15 October 1986 ( CANB, MEL); 8 km from Wedderburn, towards Inglewood , 36°28’S, 143°42’E, M. E . Phillips s.n., 31 October 1963 ( CBG 3199 ); Inglewood Flora Reserve , 36°35’S, 143°52’E, N. G . Walsh 2448 ( CANB, MEL); ibid., M . D. Crisp 9557 & L. G . Cook, 18 October 2002 ( CANB) .

Affinity:— This species was previously included in D. benthamii as subsp. humilis , but here we divide this subspecies into two cryptic species ( D. devito and D. schwarzenegge r), which DNA sequences have shown to be reciprocally monophyletic and more closely related to other species than to each other or to D. benthamii ( Fig. 1B ). Morphologically, D. devito immediately differs from the 3 other species previously included in D. benthamii (i.e. D. aphylla , D. benthamii s.s. and D. schwarzenegger ) in having minute, triangular, dark red stipules at the base of the phyllodes. Daviesia aphylla (previously named as D. benthamii subsp. acanthoclona ) overlaps in distribution with D. devito from southern WA to Eyre Peninsula, SA. Daviesia aphylla differs additionally in its tall habit (usually above 1 m) and the smooth or longitudinally wrinkled, terete branchlets that are almost leafless or have short (<20 mm) phyllodes confined to the upper few nodes of the branchlets. Daviesia schwarzenegger is distinguished from its cryptic twin D. devito by the absence of stipules, wrinkled rather than ribbed branchlets and phyllodes (when dry), and its overall more robust appearance.

According to DNA sequences, the closest relative of D. devito is D. genistifolia and in fact they were previously considered conspecific ( Crisp 1982b). However, D. genistifolia is readily distinguished by the articulation at the base of the phyllode, where it attaches to the branchlet. Additionally, the flowers and pods of D. genistifolia are larger than those of D. devito , e.g. standards respectively 4.5–5.5 mm long × 5–6.5 mm wide versus 3–4 mm long × 4 mm wide. The ranges of these two species overlap in the Flinders Ranges in SA, where they maintain these diagnostic differences. However, plants of D. genistifolia from the Flinders Ranges have stipules, like D. devito and unlike most other populations of D. genistifolia .

VII.d. D. hakeoides-obovata Clade

Figures

FIGURE 1A. Phylogeny (part) of Daviesia estimated using maximum likelihood (PHYML) from concatenated sequences of ITS (nrDNA), and ndhF and trnL–trnF (cpDNA). The tree was rooted using the monotypic sister groups Viminaria and Erichsenia (not shown). The informal clade names are used for reference in the taxonomic treatment. Numbers on branches show non-bootstrap support. The tips are labelled with the taxon name and sample accession number.

FIGURE 74. Daviesia schwarzenegger. A. Fruiting branchlet. B. Detail of phyllode and pod (stipule absent). Daviesia devito. C, D. Detail of phyllodes with pods, showing minute triangular stipule just below axil. E. Calyx opened out, upper lobes at left. F. Standard. G. Wing. H. Keel. I. Seed with aril, lateral view. J. Same, hilar view. A, B from Wrigley 71/213 (CBG 435216), C from Phillips s.n. (CBG 3199); D from Tepper s.n. (MEL 80962), E–H from Crisp 931, I, J from Tepper s.n. (AD 97622061C). Drawn by M.D. Crisp, except C by A.L. Prowse. Adapted from Crisp (1980a) with permission from the Board of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens.