''Tephrosia arenicola'' is a plant in the Fabaceae family, native to the north of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

. The species has no synonyms.

Description

''Tephrosia arenicola'' is shrub covered with dense intertwined hairs (tomentose). The shrub consists of several stems which arise from the base growing to about 50 cm high. The leaves are unifoliolate (compound leaves reduced to single leaflet - and recognizable by the jointed ‘petiole’). Their shape is elliptical to ovate, and the edges are entire. They have a dense covering of curved intertwined hairs, are about 0.3-0.5 mm long), and have 6 to 8 lateral veins below. The stipules are inconspicuous or absent. The flowers are axillary, solitary, stalkless and about 5-6 mm long. The calyx, too, is densely tomentose, with lobes which are narrow and which gradually taper to a fine apex, and are about 4 mm long. The standard is orbicular (5x6 mm) and densely covered with short weak hairs on the back. It is orange and has a yellow "eye" at its base. The wings are orange, and 4 x 1.5 mm. The keel is a dark orange (4 x 1.5 mm). The stamens are 9+1, and the style is flattened with a brush-like beard along the adaxial side. The stigma has a bearded tip. The ovary is densely covered with short, weak, soft hairs. It flowers from April to May.

Distribution and habitat

It is found in the

IBRA regions The Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA) is a biogeographic regionalisation of Australia developed by the Australian government's Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population, and Communities. It was devel ...

of the

Central Kimberley The Central Kimberley, an interim Australian bioregion, is located in the central Kimberley region of Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area ...

, the

Gascoyne The Gascoyne region is one of the nine administrative regions of Western Australia. It is located in the northwest of Western Australia, and consists of the local government areas of Carnarvon, Exmouth, Shark Bay and Upper Gascoyne. The Gasc ...

, the Gibson Desert, the Great Sandy Desert, the Little Sandy Desert, and the

Pilbara The Pilbara () is a large, dry, thinly populated region in the north of Western Australia. It is known for its Aboriginal peoples; its ancient landscapes; the red earth; and its vast mineral deposits, in particular iron ore. It is also a g ...

, growing on sandplains, sand ridges, and drainage lines, on red sand, sandy gravel, and alluvium.

Conservation status

It has been declared as "not threatened" under the state conservation act.

References

External links

''Tephrosia arenicola'' occurrence data
from

Australasian Virtual Herbarium The ''Australasian Virtual Herbarium'' (AVH) is an online resource that allows access to plant specimen data held by various Australian and New Zealand herbaria. It is part of the Atlas of Living Australia (ALA), and was formed by the amalgama ...

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15544306 arenicola Flora of Western Australia Plants described in 1980