Rhynchosia 
viscid. Seeds 2, mottled red-brown, c. 4 mm long, 3 
mm wide. Flowering: Mar - Sept; fruiting: Apr - Sept. 
Fig. 28 
Occurs in coastal areas of the Top End, growing 
on the margins of coastal monsoon thickets on well 
drained soils. Uncommon in the DR. Rhynchosia 
australis as here recognised is based on a syntype 
collected by Armstrong at Port Essington. This 
taxon appears to be distinct from R. australis 
described in the Flora of New South Wales (Gardner 
& James, 1991) and from R. minima var. australis in 
the Flora of South-eastern Queensland (Stanley, 1983). 
R. minima (L.) DC. 
All vegetative parts, calyx and fruit sparsely to 
densely tomentose with short white hairs, on the fruit 
often interspersed with long glandular based hairs. 
Golden to reddish vesicular glands abundant. Stipules 
lanceolate to ovate, 2-3 mm long. Leaf rachis to basal 
leaflets 4-66 mm, 6-78 mm overall; stipels c. 1 mm 
FABACEAE 97 
long; leaflets coriaceous, base cuneate or rounded, 
apex rounded to slightly emarginate; basal leaflets 
ovate to broadly lanceolate, 10-39 mm long, 7-30 mm 
wide, L/W 0.9-1.1; terminal leaflet rhomboidal to 
suborbicular, 9-38 mm long, 9-40 mm wide, L/W 0.8- 
1.2. Inflorescence 25-125 mm long; bracts narrowly 
triangular, c. 2.5 mm long. Pedicels c. 2 mm long. 
Calyx 3-8 mm long. Corolla yellow; standard 6-9 mm 
long. Pod dark brown or olivaceous, 12-19 mm long, 
4.5-6 mm wide. Seeds (1)2, mottled red-brown, 2.8- 
4.5 mm long, 2.5-4 mm wide. Flowering: Jan - June; 
fruiting: Mar - Aug. Fig. 28 
Pantropical. Throughout tropical Australia and as 
far south as central NSW and inland SA. Grows on a 
variety of soils in open situations and in the DR is 
relatively common on rocky slopes. The description 
includes material from drier areas where leaflet 
dimensions are smaller than is normal for the DR. 
Plants with short fine and long tubercular based 
hairs on the pod can be referred to var. eurycarpa 
Domin. 
SESBANIA Scop. 
Trees or annual or short-lived perennial shrubs. Stems of most species producing adventitious roots in 
standing water. Usually glabrate, or with simple hairs. Stipules caducous, rarely persistent. Leaves paripinnate 
with numerous pairs of leaflets, the rachis terminated by a bristle; stipels minute, setaceous; leaflets opposite, 
subopposite to alternate, usually oblong. Inflorescence an axillary raceme; bracts and bracteoles caducous. 
Calyx cupular, equally 5-lobed or toothed, glabrous without, the lobes often hairy within. Corolla glabrous; 
standard broad, often with conspicuous calli; wings and keel long-clawed, wing petals lamellate (except S. 
formosa). Ovary sessile or stipitate, glabrous; ovules numerous. Pod dehiscent, coriaceous to sub-woody, - 
seeds lying longitudinally; hilum eccentric; ecarunculate. 
A pantropical genus of c. 50 species with 10 species in Australia, 9 in the NT and 5 in the DR. Fast growing, 
soft-wooded trees and shrubs utilised for wood, fibre and green manure in some parts of the world (National 
Academy of Sciences, 1979; Turnbull, 1986). A red-flowered form of the Asian S. grandiflora (L.) Poir. is 
cultivated in Darwin. The flowers of this and some other species are eaten in Asia. [Burbidge, 1965] 
1. — Trees to 12 m high; standard >70 mm long ..........ssssesesesssssseereseeeeeneeeteceenensateceeneneneeeaes S. formosa 
1. Shrubs to 4 m high; standard <25 mm ION, .....cceseseseeseseseeseetereenseeeneeaenesnenssssseseesenssess 2 
23 Hlowerawhitenmauverornbluishrennencttercttrteststsecstccsestitietessistsnestseriititissseetserssserisese S. erubescens 
2. Flower yellow, often streaked or spotted with purple .........scscssessessssseseesssseenseneeneeneseeeeees 3 
&). Standard >19 mm long ..........sssssscssesscssssssssecsesssessccneasseeccssagacosscevsecscseeveusacssssenscseceteeneseenes S. sesban 
=}, Standard <16 mm ION ....eeeeseseseesseeeseseteeees : 4 
4, Standard 9-12 mm long; sinuses of calyx with 1-3 minute, linear appendages; : 
veins of keel petals scarcely divided at Margin .......ssssssesseeesseseseeteteeeseseseststeseseaeseseeees S. cannabina 
4. Standard 12-15 mm long; calyx sinuses without appendages; 
veins of keel petals much divided at Margin .......sscscscssscseseesseseseseseseteesesesssesesstsseeseeees t S. benthamiana 
t+ One doubtful record in the DR; not treated further. 
