Daviesia leptophylla

A flexible, erect and “light” shrub, often multi-stemmed shrub, growing to a height of about 2 metres with a 1 metre spread. It has an overall “broom-like” habit.

In NSW, it is found mainly on the central and southern tablelands and western slopes; as far north mostly as Mudgee and Wellington. However, a few records have been found with disjunction close to Nundle. It extends commonly towards the Victorian border and out to Griffith. It then occurs commonly (with a little disjunction) through Victoria, across much of the State (east of Corryong and Orbost). It is absent from the north-west of the State. It is found commonly around Adelaide in South Australia, as well as around Port Augusta and Kangaroo Island; extending northwards past Hawker.

It is typically found in dry sclerophyll woodland and shrubland, often on higher ground on sandy and rocky (skeletal) soils. (This Editor has once observed huge amount of plants, post-fire, in scribbly-gum ridgetop woodland on the central tablelands).

Daviesia spp. have simple leaves modified to phyllodes or rigid scales in this species, arranged alternately. In this species, they are often widely scattered along the branchlets, linear, yellowish-mid-green to dark green, up to 70 mm long and to 5 mm wide with conspicuous venation.

Daviesia spp. have pea-flowers (papilionate) which are 5-merous but with the typical pea setup where there is one large rear petal called the “standard”, two fused bottom petals called the “keel” and two lateral petals called “wings”. In this species, one or two umbel-like racemes of up to 10 flowers are produced in leaf axils, on peduncles to 5 mm long; flowers bright yellow with dark maroon markings; occurring from August to December.

Flowers are followed by distinctive triangular pods in Daviesia spp. In this species.the fruit is flattened, to 10 mm long and to 6 mm wide, brown when ripe.