Carmichaelia compacta

Detailed description

Erect or spreading shrub, up to 1-2 x 1-2 m, with densely placed branches and cladodes. Branches erect and spreading from base, 10-60 mm diameter. Cladodes linear, striate, compressed, erect to spreading, green, glabrous, often crowded at ends of branches, 60-220 x 1.5-2.5 mm; apex subacute, yellow; leaf nodes 4-9. Leaves 1-9-foliolate, fleshy, obovate or sometimes ovate, hairy; upper surface mottled; lower surface green; apex emarginate to retuse; margin hairy; leaflets sessile or with short petiolule, 1.5-7.0 x 1.0-6.5 mm; petiole hairy, 8-16 mm long. Leaves on cladodes reduced to a scale, triangular, glabrous, < 0.5 mm long; apex acute. Stipules clasping shoot, triangular, 0.4-0.5 x 0.4-0.5 mm; adaxial surface glabrous; abaxial surface hairy, becoming glabrous with age; apex subacute to obtuse; margin hairy. Inflorescence a raceme, 1 per node, each with 3-6 flowers. Peduncle glabrous to sparsely hairy, green, 7-16 mm long. Bracts triangular to narrow-triangular, pale green becoming membranous, 0.5-1 mm long; apex acute to subacute; margin hairy. Pedicel glabrous, pale green, 2-4 mm long. Bracteoles at base of receptacle or on upper part of pedicel, narrow rounded, white, c. 0.25 mm long; claw pale green, c.2 mm long. Stamens 3.0-3.5 mm long; lower filaments connate for c.¨þ length and with outside filaments free for 0.3-0.5 mm. Pistil exserted beyond stamens, c. 4 mm long; style with a ring of hairs below stigma; ovules 6-7. Pod obovate, broad at distal part, dorsally compressed, brown, pale grey, or straw-coloured, indehiscent, with inflated valves, 5.0-5.5 x 3.0-4.0 mm; beak on upper suture, slightly curved, stout, pungent, c.1 mm long. Seeds oblong-reniform, 1-2 per pod, light olive green or yellow-green with black mottling, 2.0-2.5 x 1.5-2.0 mm.