Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Occurs predominantly from Walebing (near Moora) SSE to Clackline and Mawson but also c. 150 km to the S of Mawson in the Kukerin–Toolbrunup area, south-western W.A.

Description

Compact subshrub 0.25–0.5 m high. Branchlets finely ribbed, green, hirsutellous to pubescent or pilose. Stipules persistent, linear-triangular, 1–3 mm long. Phyllodes oblique, ovate to elliptic or circular, 5–16 mm long, 3–11 mm wide, undulate, acute and shortly acuminate or obtuse and apiculate-mucronulate, hirsutellous, sometimes imperfectly 2- or 3‑nerved per face; midrib not prominent; lateral nerves obscure. Inflorescences simple, 1 per axil; peduncles 3.5–6 mm long, with indumentum as on branchlets; heads globular, 3.5–4.5 mm diam., 8–13-flowered, cream. Flowers 5-merous; sepals 1/3–3/4-united, with lobes narrowly triangular; petals hirsutellous to shortly pilose. Pods oblong to narrowly oblong or (when 1-seeded) nearly orbicular, flat, 0.5–2 cm long, 4–8 mm wide, obtuse, coriaceous to thinly crustaceous, hirtellous. Seeds longitudinal or transverse, widely elliptic to widely oblong or almost square, compressed, 2–3 mm long, dull, black, arillate.

Habitat

Grows in clay and sandy or gravelly clay on laterite hills in Eucalyptus wandoo woodland.

Specimens

W.A.: 3.5 km E of Mogumber on road to New Norcia then 1.5 km S, B.R.Maslin 5474 (K, MEL, PERTH); 21.5 km ESE of Nyabing on the road to Pingrup, B.R.Maslin 6157 (PERTH); 8 km E of Kukerin, M.E.Phillips WA/62 2824 (NSW, PERTH); c. 33 km from Moora along road to New Norcia, P.S.Short 2214A (PERTH).

Notes

Allied to A. crispula, A. crassistipula and A. gregorii.

Specimens from near Mogumber have the broadest phyllodes. One-seeded pods (uncommon in Acacia) occur also in the more northerly distributed A. gregorii which is distinguished by its generally longer peduncles and golden heads with 35–60 flowers.

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 J.Rogers

B.R.Maslin