Acacia harpophylla F.Muell. ex Benth.

Fabaceae

Bentham, G. (1864) Flora Australiensis 2: 389. Type: Queensland. Rockhampton, Thozet.

Brigalow

Tree to 25 metres; bark almost black, hard and longitudinally furrowed; buds and young stems hairy; stems becoming hairless and longitudinally ribbed; stipules 2, ovate, very small (0.3-0.5mm).

Reduced to a phyllode in the adult, alternate; lamina falcate, elliptic, 100-250mm by 7-20mm wide, held in the vertical plane - the plane of the stem; longitudinally veined with numerous veins not forming a network, 3-5 veins more prominent on both surfaces; gland solitary, raised, prominent on upper edge near the base of lamina; pulvinus 4-6mm long.

Inflorescences very short (2-10mm), axillary racemes bearing 2-8 globose heads each containing 15-35 flowers; heads often appearing as axillary clusters; peduncle of heads 10-20mm; flowers bisexual or male, actinomorphic, bright yellow to almost white; sepals and petals 4-(5), very small; stamens numerous, much longer than petals; carpel (if present) 1; ovary superior.

Dry, a pod, compressed-linear, 30-200mm by 5-10mm wide, woody, hairless, brown, constricted between seeds; seeds 5-10, brownish, 10-20-(30mm) long, flattened; funicle filiform, whitish, not aril-like.

Leaves bipinnate, alternate; petiole often flattened in the vertical plane.

Occurs in CEQ, from near Townsville southwards to central NSW. Altitudinal range from 100 to 640 m. Usually grows in or on the margin of vine thickets.

Racosperma harpophyllum (Benth.) Pedley, Austrobaileya 2(4): 349 (1987).

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