Common Name

Ragged Range Wattle

Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Occurs in the E Kimberley region of northern W.A. where it is it is found SW of Lake Argyle near Kununurra and from Marion Downs Sanctuary N of Fitzroy Crossing.

Description

Multi-stemmed, lignotuberous sub-shrub 0.6–1 m tall. New shoots resinous, green. Branchlets glabrous, green. Phyllodes narrowly elliptic to narrowly elliptic-oblanceolate, mostly straight, 65–110 mm long, 10–22 mm wide, glabrous, scurfy between nerves; finely multistriate with 3 (–5) nerves more evident than the rest, the nerves 4–6 (–7) per mm, free to base and anastomoses absent or occasional; gland basal, ±evident. Inflorescences simple; peduncles 1–4 (–6) mm long, scurfy and resinous in flower; spikes 8–15 mm long (when dry); receptacle densely puberulous with pale yellow, short, ±spreading hairs. Flowers 5-merous; calyx c. 2/3 length of the petals, gamosepalous, dissected for 1/4–1/3 into broadly triangular to ±oblong lobes, calyx tube light golden puberulous; petals glabrous, the midrib slightly thickened; ovary glabrous. Pods linear to narrowly oblong or oblong, 3–8 cm long, (3–) 4–6 mm wide, straight-edged or very shallowly constricted between seeds, flat, thinly coriaceous-chartaceous, mostly strongly curved (sometimes into an open circle), grey-brown, scurfy, glabrous. Seeds longitudinal, 5–7 × 2–3 mm, aril cream-coloured.

Phenology

Flowers in Jan., Feb. and May; mature pods collected in Feb. and May.

Habitat

Grows in sandy loam on gentle sandstone slopes in open woodland adjacent to massive banded ironstone outcrops.

Specimens

W.A.: [localities withheld for conservation reasons] R.L.Barrett RLB 6620 (BRI, NT, PERTH); H.Dauncey H786 (PERTH).

Notes

Appears closest to the widespread A. thomsonii with which it is sometimes sympatric. Acacia thomsonii differs in its taller, non-lignotuberous habit, sericeous branchlets and phyllodes, glabrous receptacles, ±straight, non-scurfy pods and normally bright yellow seed arils, see B.R.Maslin, M.D.Barrett & R.L.Barrett, Nuytsia 23: 551-552 (2013) for further details.

Resprouts from lignotuber following fire.

Conservation

Acacia camptocarpa is listed as Priority One under Department of Parks and Wildlife Conservation Codes for Western Australian Flora.

FOA Reference

Flora of Australia Project

Author

B.R.Maslin