Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Restricted distribution from Karlgarin Hill E to near Lake Cronin and S to near Newdegate and Lake King in south-western W.A. The type collection is recorded from near Cape Arid, c. 400 km ESE of Newdegate, which is likely to be an error by the collector.

Description

Compact densely branching shrub 0.3–1 m high. Branchlets pubescent to villous; hairs golden or white on young growth. Phyllodes crowded at ends of branchlets, on short stem-projections, ascending, linear to linear-oblanceolate, mostly 1–2 cm long, 1–2 mm wide, excentrically mucronulate to rostriform, grey-green, pubescent to minutely villous, ±glabrescent, with 1–3 ±indistinct main longitudinal nerves and few secondary nerves. Inflorescences simple, 1 or 2 per axil; peduncles mostly 7–10 mm long, puberulous to villous with golden or white hairs; basal bract persistent; heads globular, 5–6 mm diam., mostly 30–45-flowered, light golden. Flowers 5-merous; sepals free or shortly united at base. Pods linear to narrowly oblong, ±curved, undulate, 2–3.5 cm long, 3–4 mm wide, thinly coriaceous, villous. Seeds not seen.

Habitat

Grows in sand or loam in Eucalyptus woodland.

Specimens

W.A.: 12.5 km S of Newdegate from Magenta Rd turn-off, G.Craig 1491 (NSW, PERTH); 47 km due SE of Hyden, Pingaring–Varley road north, 3 km E of Mt Vernon road, B.R.Maslin 6369 (CANB, K, MEL NSW, PERTH); E of Kondinin [near Kalgarin Hill], A.S.George 9881 (NY, PERTH); 21 km NW of Holt Rock P.O. on track to Hyden, L.Haegi 1203 (PERTH); 17 km W of Rabbit Proof Fence No. 1 on Hyden–Norseman road, B.R.Maslin 551 (CANB, K, MEL, NSW, PERTH).

Notes

Acacia chrysopoda, as here defined, is a variable species; specimens from around Newdegate (e.g. G.Craig 1491, B.R.Maslin 6369) have golden-hairy peduncles and young branchlets, agreeing with the type. The phyllode indumentum on this form comprises rather weak, curved, spreading to appressed hairs. A more widespread form, occurring from Karlgarin Hill E to near Lake Cronin and S to between Newdegate and Lake King (e.g. A.S.George 9881, B.R.Maslin 551), has peduncles and young branchlets white-haired and phyllodes with ±straight, spreading hairs. Further studies on A. chrysopoda may indicate that it comprises more than one entity.

Probably most similar to A. flavipila which has flower-heads borne in 2-headed racemes and ±elliptic phyllodes.

FOA Reference

Data derived from Flora of Australia Volumes 11A (2001), 11B (2001) and 12 (1998), products of ABRS, ©Commonwealth of Australia

Author

R.S.Cowan, B.R.Maslin