Acacia leucolobia Sweet
Acacia leucolobia Sweet
Fabaceae
Occurs from near Coolah and Eumungerie S to Burrinjuck and Katoomba, and from Bowral to Wingello, N.S.W. Specimens from Mt Slow, 380 km NE of Eumungerie, appear to be this species.
Open glabrous shrub normally 1.5–3 m high. Branchlets red to red-brown, lightly to obviously pruinose. Phyllodes obovate-oblanceolate to elliptic or narrowly elliptic, 15–30 mm long, 6–14 mm wide, l:w = 2–3, obtuse, sometimes subacute, with central or slightly excentric mucro, coriaceous, glaucous to subglaucous; midrib not prominent, central or towards adaxial margin; lateral nerves obscure; gland not prominent, 0.5-4 mm above pulvinus. Inflorescences normally 5–9-headed racemes; raceme axes mostly 1–5 cm long, sometimes flexuose and pruinose; peduncles 3–6 mm long; heads globular, 8–10 mm diam. at anthesis (fresh), rather loosely 5–10-flowered, bright golden; buds large, tinged reddish. Flowers 5‑merous; sepals united, ±pruinose. Pods to 8 cm long, 6–8 (–10) mm wide, firmly chartaceous to thinly coriaceous, blackish, pruinose when young. Seeds longitudinal, oblong-elliptic to ovate, 5 mm long, slightly shiny, black; aril clavate.
N.S.W.: Home Rule, near Gulgong, Dec. 1916, J.L.Boorman (NSW); The Mullion Ra., 11.2 km NE of Mullion Ck, R.Coveny 4181 (NSW, PERTH); 13.8 km from Coolah towards Binnaway, N.Hall H78/12 (MEL, NSW, PERTH); 11.5 km SW of Reids Flat on road to Boorowa, B.R.Maslin 5893 (AD, K, MEL, PERTH); Burrinjuck near Bowning, E.J.McBarron 5239 (NSW).
This species was considered conspecific with A. lunata by G.Bentham, Fl. Austral. 2: 373 (1864) and with A. buxifolia by J.H.Maiden, Forest Fl. New South Wales 5: 78–85 (1911). These three closely related taxa are discussed under A. buxifolia. Acacia leucolobia is most readily distinguished from both A. lunata and A. buxifolia by its phyllode shape and size, and pruinose calyx and (at least when young) branchlets and racemes.
Data derived from Flora of Australia Volumes 11A (2001), 11B (2001) and 12 (1998), products of ABRS, ©Commonwealth of Australia
B.R.Maslin
Minor edits by B.R.Maslin & J.Rogers
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