Daviesia intricata is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a glabrous shrub with densely tangled branches, sharply-pointed, needle-shaped or flattened phyllodes and apricot-yellow and dark red flowers.
Description
Daviesia intricata is a glabrous shrub that typically grows to a height of up to 2 m (6 ft 7 in), and has densely tangled branches. Its phyllodes are mainly confined to near the ends of branchlets, sharply-pointed, needle-shaped, mostly 20–40 mm (0.79–1.57 in) long, 1.5–2.0 mm (0.059–0.079 in) wide and needle-shaped or flattened, depending on subspecies. The flowers are arranged in clusters of three to seven in leaf axils on a peduncle 0.5–1.0 mm (0.020–0.039 in) long, the rachis 1–5 mm (0.039–0.197 in) long, each flower on a pedicel 1–3 mm (0.039–0.118 in) long. The sepals are 1.5–2.5 mm (0.059–0.098 in) long and joined at the base, the lower three lobes longer than the upper two. The standard petal is elliptic with a notched tip, 4.5–5.5 mm (0.18–0.22 in) long and apricot yellow with a reddish-black centre, the wings 4.5–5.0 mm (0.18–0.20 in) long and dark red, and the keel 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) long and dark red. Flowering occurs from May to August and the fruit is broadly triangular, slightly inflated pod 7–10 mm (0.28–0.39 in) long.[2][3]
Daviesia intricata subsp. xiphophylla Crisp[8] is a smaller (up to 50 cm (20 in) tall) plant than the autonym and has phyllodes that are vertically flattened, rather than needle-shaped.[2][9]
Distribution and habitat
Subspecies intricata grows in woodland, mallee, heathland and shrubland between the Charles Gardner Reserve near Tammin, Dumbleyung and Ravensthorpe and subsp. xiphophylla is found in heathland and mallee scrub from near Southern Cross to Marble Rocks east of Hyden.[2][7][9]
^Sharr, Francis Aubi; George, Alex (2019). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings (3rd ed.). Kardinya, WA: Four Gables Press. p. 226. ISBN9780958034180.
