Phyllota (DC.) Benth.

Scientific Description

Family Papilionaceae. Mirbelieae.

Sometimes included in Leguminosae.

Habit and leaf form. Shrubs (often ericoid). Leaves cauline. Plants with neither basal nor terminal concentrations of leaves. Xerophytic. Leaves minute, or small; alternate (‘scattered’); not decurrent on the stems; leathery; simple; epulvinate. Leaf blades dorsiventral; entire; flat, or rolled. Leaves ‘often’ without stipules. Leaf blade margins flat, or involute.

Reproductive type, pollination. Fertile flowers hermaphrodite. Unisexual flowers absent. Plants hermaphrodite. Entomophilous.

Inflorescence and flower features. Flowers solitary, or aggregated in ‘inflorescences’ (? — ‘axillary or terminal, pedicels short’); not crowded at the stem bases; shortly pedicellate; bracteolate (the bracteoles inserted close to the calyx, leafy or scalelike). Bracteoles persistent. Flowers very irregular; zygomorphic. The floral asymmetry involving the perianth, or involving the perianth and involving the androecium. Flowers papilionaceous; tetracyclic, or pentacyclic. Floral receptacle with neither androphore nor gynophore. Free hypanthium present, or absent. Hypogynous disk present; intrastaminal; annular. Perianth with distinct calyx and corolla; 10; 2 -whorled; isomerous. Calyx present; 5; 1 -whorled; gamosepalous; lobed. Calyx lobes markedly shorter than the tube, or about the same length as the tube (not longer than it). Calyx bilabiate (the upper two lobes broader, sometimes connate); non-fleshy; persistent; non-accrescent; with the median member anterior. Corolla present; 5; 1 -whorled; appendiculate, or not appendiculate. Standard not appendaged. Corolla gamopetalous (in that the petals and stamen bases form a short tube). 2 of the petals joined. The joined petals anterior (the keel). The wings of the corolla adherent to the keel, or free from the keel (the situation complicated by adnation of stamens to petal bases); not laterally spurred. Standard ‘normally’ developed; suborbicular. Keel very incurved; not long-acuminate/beaked; neither coiled nor spiralled; not bent and beaked. Corolla imbricate; deciduous; non-accrescent. Petals clawed above the tube. Androecial members definite in number. Androecium 10. Androecial sequence determinable, or not determinable. Androecial members (at least the outer five members) adnate (adnate to the base of the petals, forming a short tube with them); (at least some of them) coherent (basally); 1 - adelphous; 1 -whorled, or 2 -whorled. Stamens 10; all more or less similar in shape; diplostemonous; alternisepalous; both opposite and alternating with the corolla members; filantherous. Anthers separate from one another to connivent; all alike; dehiscing via longitudinal slits; latrorse, or introrse. Gynoecium 1 carpelled. The pistil 1 celled. Carpels reduced in number relative to the perianth. Gynoecium monomerous; of one carpel; superior. Carpel stylate (the style dilated or thickened basally, subulate above). Style terete. Stigmatic tissue terminal. Carpel 2 ovuled. Placentation marginal. Gynoecium median. Ovary sessile. Stigmas small. Ovules shortly funicled.

Fruit and seed features. Fruit non-fleshy. The fruiting carpel dehiscent; a legume. Pods globose to somewhat elongated (ovoid); not triangular; becoming inflated, or not becoming inflated; somewhat compressed to terete; not constricted between the seeds; not transversely septate; wingless. Valves of the dehisced pod not twisted. Fruit 1 celled. Dispersal unit the seed. Fruit 1–2 seeded. Seeds not mucous; non-arillate. Testa non-operculate.

Geography, cytology, number of species. Native of Australia. 2n = 14. A genus of 3 species; 4 species in Western Australia.

Additional comments. Omitted by Blackall & Grieve.