Acacia acutata W.Fitzg.
WATTLE
Acacias of Australia
Acacia acutata prostrate wattle near Lake Cronin,WA
Acacia acutata Squires Block, 25km NW of Muckinbudin,WA
Acacia acutata Squires Block, 25km NW of Muckinbudin,WA
Family
Fabaceae
Distribution
Occurs from near Wongan Hills S to Ongerup and E to near Lake King, south-western W.A. The Broad Arrow outlier referred to in Fl. Australia 11A: 532 (2001) is now known to have been collected further west, from Hines Hill.
Description
Intricate, often compact, glabrous shrub to 0.5 (-1) m high. Branchlets spinose, rigid, striate-ribbed. Stipules caducous. Phyllodes subdistant, sessile, patent, inequilaterally triangular-lanceolate to semi-trullate, 4–12 mm long, 0.8–2 mm wide, pungent, rigid, green, 5-nerved, with the 2-nerved somewhat thickened and nerve-like adaxial margin convex but slightly angled at the gland; midrib prominent. Inflorescences rudimentary 1-headed racemes with axes less than 0.5 mm long; peduncles 2–4 (–6) mm long; basal bracts persistent; heads globular, 11–15-flowered, golden; bracteoles caducous, scarious, rather conspicuous in buds. Flowers 5-merous; sepals united to near apex, 1/2–2/3 length of petals. Pods prominently rounded over seeds, to 22 mm long, 2.5–3.5 mm wide, undulate, firmly chartaceous. Seeds irregularly oblong to elliptic, c. 2.5 mm long, turgid, sparingly mottled, peripherally ridged; aril depressed, c. equalling seed length.
Habitat
Grows in a variety of habitats but commonly in sand or clayey sand, often near granite outcrops, in woodland, mallee communities, shrubland or heath.
Specimens
W.A.: N of Wongan Hills, C.A.Gardner 2723 (K, PERTH); Hines Hill, Sept. 1927, C.A.Gardner & W.E.Blackall s.n. (PERTH); 6.4 km N of Ongerup, K.Newbey 976 (PERTH).
Notes
Similar to long phyllode forms of A. intricata which has a very reduced calyx, non-undulate pods and inconspicuous bracteoles.
FOA Reference
Data derived from Flora of Australia Volumes 11A (2001), 11B (2001) and 12 (1998), products of ABRS, ©Commonwealth of Australia
Author
B.R.Maslin
Minor edits by J.Rogers
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