''Tephrosia arenicola'' is a plant in the

Fabaceae Fabaceae () or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomen ...

family, native to the north of

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

. 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 biogeography, biogeographic regionalisation of Australia developed by the Australian government's Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities ( ...

of the

Central Kimberley The Central Kimberley, an interim Australian bioregion, is located in the central Kimberley region of Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, t ...

, the

Gascoyne The Gascoyne region is one of the nine 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 Gascoyne has about of ...

, the

Gibson Desert The Gibson Desert is a large desert in Western Australia, largely in an almost pristine state. It is about in size, making it the fifth largest desert in Australia, after the Great Victoria, Great Sandy, Tanami and Simpson deserts. The ...

, the

Great Sandy Desert The Great Sandy Desert is an interim Australian bioregion,IBRA Version 6.1
data

, the

Little Sandy Desert The Little Sandy Desert (LSD) is a desert region in the state of Western Australia, lying to the east of the Pilbara and north of the Gascoyne regions. It is part of the Western Desert cultural bloc, Western Desert cultural region, and was dec ...

, and the

Pilbara The Pilbara () is a large, dry, sparsely populated regions of Western Australia, region in the north of Western Australia. It is known for its Indigenous Australians, Aboriginal people; wealth disparity; its ancient landscapes; the prevailing r ...

, 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