Acacia lateriticola Maslin
WATTLE
Acacias of Australia
Family
Fabaceae
Distribution
Occurs from Chittering S to Manjimup, and at Dunsborough, south-western W.A.
Description
Shrub 0.5-1.5 m high. Branchlets usually pilose and hirsutellous admixed, with the latter type of hairs sometimes sparse. Stipules 2-4 mm long. Pinnae mostly 2 pairs, 2-6 mm long (proximal pinnae), 6-20 mm long (distal pinnae); petiole 0.5-1.5 mm long; rachis 3-5 mm long; pinnules 1-3 pairs (proximal pinnae), 2-6 pairs (distal pinnae), ±narrowly oblong to lanceolate, 4-8 (-15) mm long, 1.5-3 mm wide, flat or recurved to revolute, green, usually sparsely hirsute at least near margins; gland on rachis at base of pinnae, sessile. Inflorescences simple, 1 or 2 per axil; peduncles 15-30 mm long, glabrous; heads globular, 7-10 mm diam., 24-36-flowered, light golden, rarely cream. Flowers 5-merous; sepals 2/3-3/4-united. Pods narrowly oblong, 3-5 cm long, 7-11 mm wide, crustaceous, pilose, sometimes glabrous; margins thickened. Seeds transverse to oblique, 2.5-4.5 mm long; aril once-folded.
Habitat
Grows in lateritic sand in Jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) and Marri (Corymbia calophylla) forest and woodland.
Specimens
W.A.: 2.4 km W of Manjimup towards Nannup, B.R.Maslin 2861 (PERTH); 9.7 km E of Muchea, R.D.Royce 7823 (BRI, CANB, MEL, NSW, PERTH).
Notes
Closely related to A. browniana but distinguished by its larger heads with more flowers and generally longer peduncles and pinnules. Their distributions overlap in the Manjimup district where sterile specimens can be confused with A. browniana var. obscura. Also similar to A. empelioclada.
A variant with glabrous branchlets, pinnules and pods occurs at Dunsborough (e.g. B.R.Maslin 6765, PERTH). This variant differs from typical A. lateriticola in the following characters: stipules 1-3 mm long, petiole 0.5-1 mm long, pinnules 3-6 (-9) mm long, 2-4 mm wide, flat, green to subglaucous and pods 6-6.5 mm wide. Further work is required to assess the status of this variant.
FOA Reference
Data derived from Flora of Australia Volumes 11A (2001), 11B (2001) and 12 (1998), products of ABRS, ©Commonwealth of Australia
Author
B.R.Maslin
Minor edits by B.R.Maslin & J.Reid
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