Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Geographically restricted in the western Gawler Ranges, Eyre Penin., S.A., where it occurs on Toondulya Bluff, E to the hills around Hiltaba, and S of L. Acraman; also reported as occurring on Waverly Hill, 14 km N of Toondulya Bluff but not vouchered from this site.

Description

Erect, slender tree to 4 m high. Branchlets pruinose, aging dark red-brown, glabrous. New shoots pruinose. Phyllodes straight, narrowly to broadly elliptic to narrowly oblong, (5–) 5.5–11 (–12) cm long, (8–) 10–25 (–39) mm wide, obtuse to sub-acute, coriaceous, green to subglaucous; midrib and marginal nerves prominent; lateral nerves obscure; gland single or rarely 2, 0–1 mm above pulvinus. Inflorescences racemose or occasionally paniculate; raceme axes 4–6 cm long, pruinose, glabrous; peduncles 3–4 mm long, pruinose, glabrous; heads globular to obloid or ellipsoid, (50–) 55–105 (–110)-flowered, bright golden. Flowers 5-merous; sepals united. Pods narrowly oblong, raised on opposite sides over alternate seeds, to 8 cm long, (9–) 10–12 (–13) mm wide, firmly chartaceous to slightly coriaceous, glabrous. Seeds transverse, oblong-elliptic, 4–7 mm long; funicle half or more encircling seed, dark red-brown; aril clavate.

Phenology

Probably flowers June–Sept.

Habitat

Grows in loam on low rocky hills of granite and shale, in open shrubland and Triodia grassland.

Specimens

S.A.: Gawler Ra., 28 Apr. 1981, Anonymous (AD); Hiltaba Stn, M.Jusaitis & L.Polomka 72 (AD); 2 km N of Chinaman Well, S of L. Acraman, D.E.Symon 8167 (AD, B, BRI, MO, NSW).

Notes

A member of the ‘Acacia microbotrya group’ closely related to A. notabilis which differs most obviously in its smaller, densely branching bushy habit, non-pruinose branchlets, more grey-glaucous phyllodes and fewer-flowered heads. Putative hybrids between these two species occur at Toondulya Bluff, however, neither putative parent occurred in the population, fide M.C.O’Leary, op. cit. 20.

FOA Reference

Data derived from Flora of Australia Volumes 11A (2001), 11B (2001) and 12 (1998), products of ABRS, ©Commonwealth of Australia

Author

M.O'Leary, B.R.Maslin