Acacia ayersiana Maconochie
WATTLE
Acacias of Australia
Common Name
Ayers Rock Mulga, Broad-leaf Mulga, Uluru Mulga
Family
Fabaceae
Distribution
Wide ranging from W.A. to southern parts of N.T. and S.A.
Description
Rounded or obconic, multi-stemmed shrubs 3–6 m tall and about the same across, sometimes single-stemmed trees 7–12 m tall. Branchlets with dense white appressed-pubescence between red-brown ribs, the ribs sometimes with a thin veneer of translucent resin; new shoots not or scarcely resinous (except for margins of young phyllodes), usually densely sericeous with hairs normally pale yellow. Phyllodes narrowly elliptic to lanceolate, straight but often shallowly recurved at apex or occasionally over entire length, (3–) 5–8 (–10) cm long, (4–) 7–12 (–18) mm wide, acute to acuminate, commonly silvery light grey-green ageing dull green, longitudinal nerves numerous with 3–6 nerves slightly more pronounced than the rest (best observed on young phyllodes); marginal nerve discrete and resinous, light brown to red-brown but often ageing dull yellow. Inflorescences single in axils; peduncles 3–6 (–8) mm long; spikes (10–) 15–35 mm long. Flowers 5-merous; sepals ¼–⅓ length of corolla, free or shortly united at base; corolla 1.3–1.7 (–2) mm long. Pods shortly stipitate, oblong, 1–4 cm long, 10–14 (–17) mm wide including wings 1–2 mm wide, chartaceous, brown, reticulately nerved, glabrous or minutely appressed-pubescent, dehiscent. Seeds transverse to oblique, oblong, 5–6 mm long, 2.5–3 mm wide; aril small, terminal, oblique, pileate, white.
Habitat
Usually grows on sandy soils, often in swales of dunes.
Specimens
W.A.: 38 miles [61 km] E of Mount Magnet, B.A.Barlow 343 (AD); Hamersley Ra., c. 59 km W of Newman on rd to Port Hedland, B.R.Maslin 8031 (CANB, PERTH). N.T.: 19 miles [30 km] W of ‘Curtin Springs’, M.Lazarides 6177 (BRI, CANB). S.A.: S of Musgrave Ranges, Mt Wood-Mt Harriet, 30 Sept. 1955, S.A. Pastoral Board (AD); Flinders Ranges, L.D.WIlliams 11537 (AD).
FOA Reference
Data derived from Flora of Australia Volumes 11A (2001), 11B (2001) and 12 (1998), products of ABRS, ©Commonwealth of Australia
Author
L.Pedley
Revised by B.R.Maslin
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