Common name: Yellow Vine, Spineless Caltrop
Tribulus micrococcus Domin APNI* 
Description: Herb with prostrate to shortly ascending branches to more than 1 m long.
Leaves with 4–7 pairs of leaflets; leaflets ± oblong, 6–13 mm long, to 4 mm wide.
Sepals 3–6 mm long. Petals 6–13 mm long, 2–2.5 times as long as sepals. Stigma hemispherical or somewhat elongated; style 1–2.5 times as long as stigma.
Fruit slightly hairy; cocci 3–5 mm long, smooth to wrinkled-muricate dorsally, often with 2 short divergent spines above 0.5–2.5 mm long; seeds 1–3 per coccus.
Flowering: spring–autumn.
Distribution and occurrence: Grows especially on clay and loam soils in inland districts; also in disturbed situations; north from Wagga. Barker (2013; Flora of Australia vol. 26) suggests that it may not be native, pointing out that similar plants are found elsewhere (e.g. T. kaiseri in northern Africa). This needs further investigation.
NSW subdivisions: NC, CC, NT, CT, NWS, CWS, SWS, NWP, SWP
Other Australian states: Qld N.T. S.A.
Probably native; patchy distribution records may be owing to previous confusion with T. terrestris. This species often has longer branches than T. terrestris and T. minutus. Specimens with smaller flowers (petals c. 5 mm long), longer spines and shorter style may represent a separate taxon.
Text by K. L. Wilson (1992); edited KL Wilson (Jan 2014)
Taxon concept: Flora of NSW 3 (1992)
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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