Pongamia FABACEAE 95 
hilum central. Flowering: Sept - Oct; fruiting: most 
months. Fig. 27 
Range as for the genus. Relatively common in the 
DR in coastal habitats including strand, edges of the 
mangroves and monsoon thickets; also river levees. 
Cultivated in Darwin as a shade tree. 
PSORALEA L. 
Evergreen perennial shrubs or annual herbs. Stipules persistent. Stipels absent. Inflorescence usually 
racemose, axillary or terminal; bracts persistent, bracteoles absent. Calyx 5-lobed. Corolla mauve, 
glabrous; standard obovate, auricles absent; wings and keel clawed. Stamens 9+1; anthers uniform, fixed 
near base, versatile. Ovary sessile or shortly stipitate, ovule 1; style incurved, glabrous, dilated in upper 
half; stigma capitate. Pod + ellipsoid, flat, indehiscent, pericarp adhering closely to seed. Seed ecarunculate, 
hilum eccentric. 
A cosmopolitan genus of c. 120 species with 23 species in Australia and 14 species in the NT. Two widespread 
species occur in the DR. 
iL, Leaves 1-foliolate; inflorescence crowded ..............05 
1. Leaves 3-foliolate; inflorescence interrupted.............. 
P. badocana (Blanco) Blanco 
An erect shrub to 2.5 m tall. Vegetative and 
floral parts (including pods but excepting corolla) 
sparsely to densely covered with soft white long 
simple hairs, often crisped on stems. Upper surface 
of leaf densely covered with dark punctate glands 
which are sparse to absent elsewhere. Stipules + 
shortly connate at base, lanceolate, 6-15 mm long. 
Leaves 1-foliolate, rachis 5-26 mm long; blade 
discolorous, narrowly elliptic, ovate or lanceolate, 
43-118 mm long, 20-47 mm wide, L/W 1.6-3.3, 
base rounded or cuneate, margin entire, apex obtuse 
to acute. Inflorescence crowded, to 40 mm long; 
bracts variable, ovate to lanceolate, obovate or 
oblong, 3-6 mm long, striate, + densely covered 
with red-brown depressed vesicular glands. Pedicels 
2-5 mm long. Calyx 10-20 mm long; lobes unequal, 
lower lobe 4-8 mm longer than others; tube 2-4 mm 
long. Standard shortly clawed, 9-10 mm long, 
emarginate; wings lacking lamellae, lobed; keel 
straight, lower margin adhering in upper 1/3. Upper 
stamen adhering to sheath in lower half, geniculate 
at base. Ovary shortly stipitate, hairy. Pod dark 
brown, ellipsoid, flattened, c. 4 mm long, 2.5-3 mm 
wide. Seed brown. Flowering: Jan - Aug; fruiting: 
May - June. Fig. 28 ; 
Widespread in northern Australia, also in New 
Guinea, eastern Indonesia and the Philippines. 
Relatively uncommon in the DR. Grows on. well 
drained soils in open habitats. 
P. badocana 
P. cinerea 
P. cinerea Lindl. 
An aromatic, usually erect, annual herb to 60 cm 
tall, rarely higher. Vegetative and floral parts 
(including pods but excepting corolla) sparsely to 
densely covered with adpressed white or grey simple 
hairs and reddish to black punctate glands. Stipules 
decurrent with rachis at base, ovate, 3-6 mm long, 
1-3-nerved, attenuate. Leaves pinnately 3-foliolate, 
rachis to basal leaflets 13-60 mm, 20-77 mm overall; 
leaflets lanceolate, ovate or broadly ovate, 8-52(74) 
mm long, 6-30(46) mm wide, L/W 1.1-2.3, base 
cuneate, margin irregularly dentate, apex obtuse to 
acute. Inflorescence racemose, rarely paniculate, to 
280 mm long; flowers 2-3 per node, nodes well spaced 
in upper 1/2-2/3; bracts ovate, c. 2 mm long, 
acuminate. Pedicels 1-1.5:mm long. Calyx 2.5-4 mm 
long; lobes subequal, 0.5-1 times as long as tube; tube 
1.5-2 mm long. Standard not clawed, reflexed, c. 4 
mm long; wings obliquely lamellate, prominently 
lobed at base; keel straight, lower margins adhering 
toward apex. Upper stamen free or adhering to one 
side of sheath in lower 1/4. Ovary sessile or shortly 
stipitate, glandular. Pod white to dark brown, ellipsoid 
to reniform, flattened, 3-4 mm long, 1.8-2.5 mm wide, 
viscid or warty, often densely white hirsute. Seed 
brown or olivaceous. Flowering and fruiting: most 
months. Fig. 28 
Found in all mainland states, usually in semi-arid 
regions on heavy clay soils. Rare in the DR, where it 
is known only from the Daly R. floodplain. 
