Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Occurs in the Jarrahdale area, near Manmanning and from Bruce Rock S to Dragon Rocks (c. 45 km S of Hyden), south-western W.A.

Description

Shrub or tree 1–4 m high. Bark ‘Minni-Ritchi’. Branchlets appressed-pubescent. Phyllodes filiform, substraight to shallowly incurved, compressed to terete, 6–16 cm long, 0.7–1 mm diam., not rigid, ±appressed-pubescent (especially on the nerves), with 8 prominent nerves separated by deep furrows. Inflorescences simple, commonly 2 per axil; peduncles 0–0.5 mm long, densely white-puberulous; heads subglobular to short-cylindrical, 5–15 mm long, 5–6 mm diam., 18–42-flowered, golden; bracteoles spathulate with fan-shaped blade. Flowers 5-merous; sepals 2/3–3/4-united. Pods linear, sometimes slightly undulate, straight, to 8 cm long, 4 mm wide, coriaceous, velvety with white or yellow hairs. Seeds longitudinal, broadly elliptic to oblong-elliptic, 3–3.5 mm long, glossy, brown-black, arillate.

Habitat

Usually grows on or around granite outcrops in woodland, scrub and shrubland.

Specimens

W.A.: Canning Dam, B.R.Maslin 1704 (K, PERTH); c. 5 km due S of Camel Peaks, B.R.Maslin 5771 (K, MEXU, PERTH); 14.5 km E of Manmanning, B.H.Smith 234 (PERTH).

Notes

Seemingly related to A. inophloia which is most readily distinguished by the shaggy bark on the trunks, finely nerved, sericeous phyllodes, solitary peduncles and generally shorter spikes. Also related to A. repanda. Superficially similar to A. sessilispica but not closely related.

G.Bentham, Fl. Austral. 2: 400 (1864) erroneously described the flowers of this species as ‘mostly 4-merous’. In the same publication he also treated A. filifolia as a synonym of A. ephedroides on the basis of J.Drummond 156. Acacia filifolia is now regarded as a distinct species.

FOA Reference

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

Author

Minor edits by B.R.Maslin

R.S.Cowan, B.R.Maslin