Erythrina 
mm wide, L/W 0.4-1.1, base attenuate or cuneate, 
margins entire (juvenile foliage + spinose), apex 
obtuse, acute or acuminate. Inflorescences 1-4 per 
axil, racemose, to 260 mm long; flowers in upper 2/ 
3, flowering when leafless; bracts caducous, 1.5-2 mm 
long. Pedicels 5.5-20 mm long; bracteoles caducous, 
triangular, c. 1.5 mm long. Calyx spathaceous, 11-15 
mm long; lobes 3-5, subapical, thickened, obscure. 
Corolla bright red, glabrous; standard not clawed, 
ovate-oblong to obovate, reflexed, 26-34 mm long, 
lacking auricles, apex obtuse; wings shortly clawed, 
1/2 as long as standard, straight, not lobed or 
lamellate; keel petals shortly clawed, margins free 
throughout. Stamens 9+1, upper stamen connate with 
other 9 in lower half, c. 35 mm long; filaments 
alternately long and short; anthers uniform, dorsifixed, 
versatile. Ovary densely hairy with stellate hairs, 
FABACEAE 79 
ovules 7-11; style incurved, glabrous; stigma capitate. 
Pod grey-brown, coriaceous, linear to moniliform, + 
straight, 55-115 mm long, 9-12 mm wide, dehiscent. 
Seeds 1-4, longitudinal in pod, red, oblong-ellipsoid, 
10-11.5 mm long, 4-5.5 mm wide; hilum central; 
ecarunculate. Flowering: May - Oct; fruiting: Sept - 
Oct. Fig. 23 Bat’s Wing Coral Tree 
Endemic to and widespread in the northern half of 
Australia. Relatively uncommon in the DR. Grows 
in open communities on a variety of soils. Aborigines 
use the seeds to make ornaments and the soft wood 
to make shields, woomera shafts and coolamons, 
especially in Central Australia (Wightman et al., 1992; 
Smith et al., 1993). The charred bark is used as a 
source of black pigment (P.Huddleston pers. comm.), 
while the root of young plants is eaten after roasting 
(Levitt, 1981). 
FLEMINGIA Roxb. ex W.T.Aiton 
Perennials with an indumentum of simple hairs and vesicular glands on vegetative and floral parts, with 
yellow glandular based hairs often present. Stipules present, striate. Leaves digitately 3-foliolate; stipels 
absent (except in F. involucrata); leaflets dorsiventral, the basal pair asymmetric and smaller than the terminal. 
Inflorescence paniculate or racemose; bracts present; bracteoles absent (except in F. lineata). Calyx deeply 5- 
lobed, the lobes attenuate. Corolla glabrous (except in F: involucrata); standard shortly clawed, suborbicular, 
auriculate; wings and keel petals long-clawed; wings smooth or lamellate; keel usually straight. Stamens 9+1, 
upper geniculate, thickened or dilated at the knee; anthers uniform, dorsifixed and versatile. Style thickened 
for most of its length from a thin base, glabrous or hairy only above base; stigma capitate (except F. involucrata 
which has a bearded lateral stigma). Ovary sessile, sericeous, 2-ovuled. Pod inflated, dehiscent, (1)2-seeded. 
Seeds globose, hilum central, ecarunculate. 
An Old World genus of 30-50 species; c. 7 species occur in Australia, from the Kimberley to southern Qld. 
All 6 NT species are described here though only 5 are known from the DR. 
1. Flowers in dense heads subtended by bracts .........ccsccssssssesssesssssssesessseseseessessesesssesssessesees FE. involucrata 
[Se a blowersiin panicles OrraCeMesprrcsriiecsvsssertecerssrectecessarearteecsencentertencdstercstrtszstacsetascnesgscnsretcs 2 
DM ahlowersumropen(paniclestersrneettrsrsttitirsttttristtieestcecstttestersttrererrteetarietrersettrcereetttonertees? 3 
2, * "FlOWErS IN TACEMES ......s.sssssesssesssssccesscsssssscecsecsssececscassneneessnecssucrececseassscssesonscsessesescnesesseeseee® 4 
F. trifoliastrum 
F. lineata 
3. Stems prostrate or semi-erect; leaflets 0.9-1.8 times as long aS Wide ........c.seeeeeeeeseeeeeee 
3. Stems erect; leaflets 2-5(7.2) times as long aS Wide .........cssssssseseseseseseseseeseseseseseeeeeeesesseaes 
4.  Racemes dense, many-flowered; vesicular glands black ........cssesesseseereeeeresteneeneeesesnenees 5 
4. — Racemes 1-3-flowered; vesicular glands yellow .....csscssessssesessesesseseseeneseeneseseeeseeneneeeeneaee F. pauciflora 
5. Calyx 9-15 mm long; leaf rachis 9-40 mm long; corolla red or purple .........ssssessesseseeseeees 
5. Calyx 5-11 mm long; leaf rachis (25)50-100 mm long; corolla white or green ............40. 
F. ‘Rum Jungle’ 
F. parviflora 
F. involucrata Wall. ex Benth. 
Maughania (“Moghania’) involucrata (Benth.) Kuntze 
An erect herb or shrub to 1.3 m high, with perennial 
roots. Softly pilose throughout with patent white long 
hairs, yellow glandular hairs and red vesicular glands, 
the latter more dense on the under side of the leaves 
and calyx. Stipules caducous, brown, lanceolate, 10- 
18 mm long, 3-6 mm wide, broad based, scar 
