Common Name

Buchan Blue, Buchan Blue Wattle

Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Restricted to the Lakes Entrance–Buchan district, Vic., where it is known only from the Swan Reach–Tambo Upper region and Lake Tyers N to the Murrindal area. Remaining populations are under threat by land clearing, etc., fide B.R.Maslin & A.B.Court, Muelleria 7: 133 (1989).

Description

Tree or tall shrub to 10–15 m high, often ±pyramidal in outline. Branchlets commonly pruinose, glabrous. Phyllodes obovate to oblanceolate or elliptic to narrowly elliptic, 4–8 cm long, 1.5–3 cm wide, narrowed and often shallowly recurved near base, obtuse, glaucous, pruinose when young, glabrous, with midrib central or towards the adaxial margin, finely penninerved; gland 5–25 mm above the pulvinus, connected to pulvinus by a fine oblique nerve. Inflorescences racemose but racemes often in panicles 4–9 cm long; raceme axes 1–3 (–4.5) cm long, glabrous; peduncles 6–8 mm long, rather slender, glabrous; heads globular, mostly 20–30-flowered, lemon yellow. Flowers 5-merous; sepals united. Pods stipitate, 5–12 cm long, 14–22 mm wide, chartaceous, pruinose, glabrous. Seeds longitudinal to longitudinally oblique, elliptic, 5–6 mm long, dull, black; funicle thick, red-brown, constricted at junction with aril.

Phenology

Flowering commences in Nov.

Habitat

It occurs as remnant populations in clay over limestone in Eucalyptus woodland or forest; its distribution appears to be strictly associated with limestone geology.

Specimens

Vic.: Stony Ck crossing of the Princes Hwy, Toorloo Arm, D.E.Albrecht 2276 (CANB, NSW, PERTH); 4.5 km from Buchan towards Wulgulmerang, 22 May 1988, B.R.Maslin s.n. (CANB, PERTH); Murrindal, N.A.Wakefield 4103 (MEL).

Notes

Closely related to A. obliquinervia which has less glaucous and often longer (5–17 cm) phyllodes with the gland 0–12 mm above the pulvinus and lacking an associated fine, oblique nerve extending to the pulvinus, stouter peduncles 1.5–5 mm long. Acacia obliquinervia is widespread and occurs at higher altitudes than A. caerulescens. Sometimes resembling the more westerly distributed A. sporadica which is a low, root-suckering shrub with non-pruinose branchlets, phyllode gland infrequently connected to midrib by an obscure oblique nerve and transverse seeds.

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 B.R.Maslin

B.R.Maslin