70 FABACEAE 
overall; leaflets linear, 6.5-60 mm long, 1.5-4 mm 
wide, L/W 3-15, base rounded, apex acute. 
Inflorescence sparse, to 150 mm long, rachis and 
pedicel with glandular based secretory hairs and 
hooked hairs; flowers solitary at bracts; bracts 
caducous, ovate, c. 2 mm long. Pedicels filiform, 8- 
12 mm long; bracteoles absent. Calyx c. 1.5 mm long, 
with antrorse white long strigose hairs, minute hooked 
hairs and + glandular based secretory hairs; lobes 5, 
1-2 times as long as tube, upper lobes shortly connate... 
Corolla pink or white; standard scarcely clawed, 
orbicular, 2.7-3 mm long, with minute calli; wings 
and keel clawed. Ovary glabrous. Pod yellow-brown, 
straight or slightly curved, 7-13 mm long, 2.3-3 mm 
wide, upper margin shallowly lobed, lower margin 
more deeply lobed to form a narrow neck c. 0.5 mm 
wide; articles 1-4, 2.8-4 mm long, margin fringed 
with white hooked hairs, faces glabrous or with minute 
hooked hairs, or with long and short hooked hairs, 
venation prominent. Seeds dark brown, reniform, 1.8- 
2 mm long, 1.1-1.5 mm wide. Flowering and fruiting: 
Feb - Apr. Fig. 21 
Endemic to and widespread in tropical Australia. 
Relatively common in the DR. Grows on well drained, 
sandy soils in open vegetation. 
D. campylocaulon F.Muell. ex Benth. 
Alysicarpus campylocaulis (Benth.) Schindler 
A prostrate or decumbent stoloniferous herb to 20 
cm tall, with perennial rootstock and annual stems. 
Vegetative parts densely covered with short hooked 
hairs, the lightly scabrid leaves also with occasional 
simple hairs. Stipules 5-7 mm long, cordate, 
acuminate. Leaves pinnately 3-foliolate; rachis to 
basal leaflets 25-95 mm, 30-110 mm overall; stipels 
3-5 mm long; /eaflets dorsiventral, lanceolate or 
narrowly elliptic, 22-101 mm long, 6.5-18 mm wide, 
L/W 3.1-6, venation prominently raised below, base 
rounded, apex acute. /nflorescence to 150 mm long; 
bracts persistent, 3-3.5 mm long. Pedicels 3-4 mm 
long; bracteoles absent. Calyx 2-3.5 mm long, with 
hooked and simple hairs; lobes 4, 1-2 times as long 
as tube, upper lobe bifid. Corolla purple, minutely 
papillose; standard shortly clawed, + orbicular, 3.5-6 
mm long; wings clawed; keel long-clawed; style short. 
Pod stramineous, 18-32 mm long, 3-4 mm wide, with 
hooked and occasional simple hairs, resinous, upper 
margin almost entire, lower deeply lobed almost to 
the upper suture, the articles separated by a narrow 
neck; articles 3-8, 3.8-5 mm long, inflated. Seeds 
red-brown, oblong, c. 3 mm long, 1.9-2 mm wide. 
Flowering and fruiting: variable, depending on 
rainfall. Fig. 21 
Endemic to Australia and found in Qld, NSW and 
Desmodium 
the NT. Not in the DR, but elsewhere in the NT 
occurring on black cracking clay soils with Mitchell 
Grass (Astrebla spp.). 
D. filiforme Moritzi ex Zoll. 
A prostrate annual (rarely perennial) herb. Stems 
with patent white long and short simple hairs and short 
hooked hairs; leaves with sparse adpressed white 
simple hairs. Stipules brown, 3.5-5 mm long, 
attenuate. Leaves pinnately 3-foliolate or 1-foliolate; 
rachis to basal leaflets 2-13 mm, 2-20 mm overall; 
leaflets oblong, oblong-elliptic or oblong-linear, 
occasionally obovate or narrowly ovate, 8-38 mm 
long, 2-17 mm wide, L/W 1.4-5, base rounded or 
cordate, apex emarginate. Inflorescence sparse, to 150 
mm long, with adpressed white to yellowish strigose 
hairs on the rachis; flowers solitary at bracts; bracts 
mostly early caducous, 3.5-5 mm long, with minute 
hooked hairs and fringed with white strigose hairs. 
Pedicels 7.5-8 mm long, with minute hooked hairs, 
rarely with occasional septate glandular hairs; 
bracteoles absent. Calyx 2-3 mm long, with minute 
hooked and antrorse white strigose hairs; lobes 5, 
4-5 times as long as tube, upper lobes shortly connate 
above the tube. Corolla purple, pale pink or mauve; 
standard shortly clawed, obovate, 3-3.5 mm long, with 
minute calli; wings and keel shortly clawed. Ovary 
sparsely hairy. Pod pale brown, straight or slightly 
curved, 8-17 mm long, 3-4 mm wide, margin glabrous 
to densely hairy with white straight thickened scale- 
like simple hairs, faces with white simple and minute 
hooked hairs, hairs less frequent or absent on lower 
articles, upper margin c. 1/10 divided, lower margin 
c. 1/3 divided; articles 1-6, 3.5-5 mm long, venation 
often red, prominent. Seeds pale brown, + reniform, 
2.1-2.8 mm long, 1.8-2.1 mm wide. Flowering: Mar 
- June; fruiting: Mar - Aug. Fig. 21 
Found in Java, eastern Indonesia, New Guinea and 
northern Australia. Not in the DR, but south of 
Katherine usually occurring on sandy soils on stream 
margins and floodouts. 
D. gangeticum (L.) DC. 
An erect shrub to 1.5 m tall, annual or with 
perennial rootstock and annual aerial parts. Vegetative 
parts pilose to glabrescent with simple long straight 
and/or short hooked secretory hairs. Stipules subulate, 
5.5-10 mm long. Leaves 1-foliolate; rachis 9-44 mm 
long; stipels subulate, striate; Jeaflets thin, 
dorsiventral, ovate, elliptic, broadly elliptic or 
suborbicular, 19-120 mm long, 18-60 mm wide, L/W 
1.1-2.8, base rounded or cordate, apex acute or obtuse. 
Inflorescence to 500 mm long; bracts caducous, 
