Acacia tabula Molyneux & Forrester
Acacia tabula Molyneux & Forrester
Wombargo Wattle
Fabaceae
Known only from type locality, Splitters Ck, S of Wulgulmerang in East Gippsland, Vic. Currently known from a single small population on the Wombargo Ra. in the upper catchment of Little R., a tributary of the Snowy R. The population comprises small fragmented stands in close proximity extending across a slope overlooking and S of Splitters Ck.
Erect shrub 0.25–0.5 m high, readily suckering. Branchlets not pruinose, glabrous. Phyllodes inaequilaterally narrowly oblong-elliptic, 6–17 mm long, 0.8–2.5 (–4.2) mm wide, acute to sub-acute, excentrically mucronate, thin-textured, grey-green, glabrous; midrib not prominent, lateral nerves obscure or absent; gland 1.5–4.5 (–6.5) mm above pulvinus. Inflorescences (5–) 8–10-headed racemes; raceme axes (5–) 8–10 (–12) mm long; peduncles 1.5–3 mm long, glabrous; heads globular, 3–4 mm diam. (dry), 5–8-flowered, golden. Flowers 5-merous; sepals united. Pods and seeds not seen.
Flowers late Aug.–early Oct.
Grows in dry woodland and heathland on high rocky ground in shallow soils derived from sediments.
Vic.: Splitters Ck above Limestone Creek Rd, 30 Apr. 1986, W.M.Molyneux & S.G.Forrester s.n. (MEL 1545133;); Splitters Ck, c. 10 km SW of Suggan Buggan, 9 Sep. 1962, K.C.Rogers (MEL 600258).
Most closely related to A. buxifolia subsp. buxifolia which differs in its taller stature, generally larger phyllodes that often lack a gland and larger heads, see W.M.Molyneux & S.G. Forrester (Muelleria 26(1): 54, Table 1 (2008)) for a detailed comparison of these two species.
A slow-growing dwarf species that spreads by suckering; it was treated as a dwarf variant of A. buxifolia subsp. buxifolia by B.R.Maslin in Fl. Australia 11A: 341 (2001). Acacia nanopravissima and A. infecunda occur in the same area and were treated as dwarf variants of A. pravissima and A. boormanii in Fl. Australia 11A: 331 & 334 (2001) respectively.
Flora of Australia Project
B.R.Maslin
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