Acacia floribunda (Vent.) Willd.
WATTLE
Acacias of Australia
Common Name
Gossamer Wattle, White Sally Wattle
Family
Fabaceae
Distribution
Widespread in forests and woodlands along the eastern coastal and subcoastal regions from Stanthorpe, Mt Barney and Tambourine Mt in SE Qld, southwards through N.S.W. to Briagolong N of Stratford in eastern Vic. with an isolated occurrence at Nambour near Maroochydore in south-eastern Qld. Occasionally adventive in south-western W.A.
Description
Shrub or tree, 2–8 m high, 2–15 m wide, spreading. Branches sometimes pendulous, angular, sparsely to densely hairy, the hairs appressed to patent and short, rarely glabrous. Stipules inconspicuous or absent. Phyllodes normally narrowly elliptic, occasionally narrowly lanceolate or narrowly oblanceolate, (4–) 5–15 cm long, (1–) 3–10 mm wide, acute and often mucronulate, thin and pliable, glabrous or sparsely appressed puberulous, with 1–3 primary nerves; secondary nerves 6–10, parallel and longitudinally anastomosing (anastomoses almost absent on narrowest phyllodes); margins yellow; gland absent; pulvinus 1–3 mm long. Inflorescences simple, solitary or twinned; peduncles (1–) 2–5 (–6) mm long, sparsely to densely appressed-hairy or occasionally glabrous; receptacles glabrous or appressed-puberulous; spikes interrupted, 2–8 cm long, cream to pale yellow; bracteoles absent or if present then deltoid and less than 0.5 mm long. Flowers 4-merous; sepals united. Pods subcylindrical, ±constricted between seeds, mostly straight, 6–12 cm long, 2–4 mm wide, crustaceous. Seeds elliptic, 3–5 mm long, glossy, brown; funicle folded about 4–8 times; aril small, irregularly thickened.
Habitat
It is often common along the banks of streams.
Specimens
Qld: Severn R., 16 km SW of Stanthorpe, L.Pedley 4145 (BRI, MEL); Mt Barney, Macpherson Ra., I.R.Telford 518 (CANB). N.S.W.: 10 miles [16 km] W of Tenterfield, E.F.Constable 7114 (MEL, NSW); The Royal Natl Park near Sydney, C.T.White 8540 (BRI); Eden, L.Pedley 1700 (BRI, MEL). Vic.: 8 km NNE of Briagolong, P.K.Gullen 315 (MEL). W.A. Firestone Rd., Dryandra, G.J.Keighery 12263 (PERTH).
Notes
A member of the ‘A. longifolia group’ and distinguished from other species in the group, except A. longissima and sometimes A. mucronata, by the absence of glands on the phyllodes. The phyllodes of A. floribunda are commonly shorter, broader and less elongate than those of A. longissima but forms of A. floribunda with phyllode dimensions within the range of A. longissima can be recognized by their normally non-linear phyllodes, short peduncles and often more densely hairy branches; furthermore, the branchlets of A. floribunda are sometimes pendulous which never occurs in A. longissima. Acacia floribunda putatively hybridises with A. oxycedrus in N.S.W. A cultivar, A. floribunda ‘Abundance’ is recognized within this species, see E.Brueggemeier, Australian Plants 25: 263–264 (2010) for description and photograph.
FOA Reference
Data derived from Flora of Australia Volumes 11A (2001), 11B (2001) and 12 (1998), products of ABRS, ©Commonwealth of Australia
Author
A.B.Court
Edited by B.R.Maslin
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