Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Extending from Yorkrakine (c. 70 km due W of Merredin) E to near Sinclair Soak (c. 50 km NE of Norseman) and S to the Bremer Ra. (c. 105 km due SW of Norseman), south-western W.A.

Description

Open somewhat gangling glabrous shrub 0.5–2.5 m high. Branchlets angled at extremities, faintly to moderately pruinose. Stipules caducous. Phyllodes occasionally continuous with branchlets but not forming cauline wings, narrowly oblong-elliptic to narrowly oblong-oblanceolate or elliptic to obovate, rarely lanceolate, (1–) 1.5–3 (–4) cm long, (5–) 7–12 (–15) mm wide with l:w = 1.5–3, often slightly twisted, sometimes recurved and shallowly concave, with coarsely pungent mucro, thickly coriaceous, smooth, grey-green to glaucous; midrib not prominent; lateral nerves absent; marginal nerves prominent, yellow; gland 1–5 mm above pulvinus. Inflorescences rudimentary, 2-headed racemes with axes 0.5–1 mm long; peduncles 8–21 mm long; heads globular, 30–37-flowered, golden. Flowers 5-merous; sepals free. Pods strongly arcuate to spirally or irregularly coiled, terete to semi-terete, to c. 1.5 cm long (unexpanded), 2–3 mm wide, thinly coriaceous, ±pruinose when young. Seeds longitudinal, oblong to widely elliptic, 2.5–3 mm long, mottled; aril conical, white.

Habitat

Grows in sand, sandy loam, clay, clayey sand or loam and clay, in low hilly or flat country, in mallee shrubland or eucalypt woodland.

Specimens

W.A.: 1 km S of Yorkrakine, B.R.Maslin 6133 (PERTH); c. 52 km due ESE of Narembeen, 10 km S of Anderson Rocks Rd on the Humps Rd, B.R.Maslin 6150 (CANB, K, MEL, PERTH); 33 km ESE of Sinclair Soak, K.Newbey 7011 (PERTH).

Notes

As with many Acacia species, the habit of plants along road verges is usually denser than under natural conditions. A variant from around Yorkrakine has phyllodes (at least when young) continuous with branchlets (but not forming cauline wings), not unlike those of A. anceps.

Similar to A. merrallii which has a denser habit, usually minutely puberulous and non-pruinose branchlets, appressed-puberulous phyllodes (at least when young) and seeds with a bright yellow to orange aril. Also similar to A. glaucissima which has terete, ±ribbed, non-pruinose branchlets, phyllodes with conspicuous midrib and marginal nerves, persistent stipules, longer pods and yellow aril.

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