Acacia cardiophylla A.Cunn. ex Benth.
WATTLE
Acacias of Australia
Common Name
Wyalong Wattle
Family
Fabaceae
Distribution
Occurs on the Central and South Western Slopes and near Lake Cargellico, South Western Plains, N.S.W.
Description
Flat-topped shrub or tree 1–3.3 m high, many-stemmed. Bark smooth, grey or mottled with brown. Branchlets terete or obscurely angled, pruinose, with spreading ±stiff cream-coloured hairs, or glabrous. Young foliage-tips cream-coloured, villous. Leaves subcoriaceous, pale green, subsessile with basal pinnae arising immediately or to 2 mm above pulvinus, with a small orbicular gland at insertion of basal pair of pinnae; rachis 1–6 cm long, with minute orbicular jugary glands often inconspicuous or missing from some pairs of pinnae, interjugary glands absent; pinnae (3–) 8–19 pairs, (0.2–) 0.5–1.2 (–1.5) cm long, with lower pairs shorter than others; pinnules 4–14 pairs, narrowly ovate, orbicular or oblong, 0.8–2 (–2.5) mm long, 0.5–1 (–1.3) mm wide, hispidulous especially below and on margins, obliquely subcordate at base, obtuse, broadly rounded or subacute at apex. Inflorescences in axillary racemes, or axillary or terminal false-panicles; axis zig-zagged; peduncles 1–3 mm long, hairy or rarely glabrous. Heads 3–5 mm diam., 15–40-flowered, golden. Pods straight to slightly curved, 1.5–11.5 cm long, 4–6.5 mm wide, subcoriaceous, blue-black or dark brown, paler between seeds, with stiff silver hairs. 2n = 26, C.Hamant et al., Taxon 24: 669 (1975).
Phenology
Flowers Aug.–Nov.; fruits Oct.–Feb.
Habitat
Grows in mallee communities, on open plains, foothills or ridges, especially in moist situations and on stream banks, in red sandy loams or gravelly clays.
Specimens
N.S.W.: 6 mile peg W of West Wyalong, E.F.Constable 7274 (NSW, TL); 5 miles [8.1 km] W of West Wyalong, 14 June 1967, M.D.Tindale s.n. & J.Lanyon (AD, CANB, E, K, NSW, US, Z) and M.D.Tindale s.n. (NSW63781).
Notes
May be confused with A. pubescens with which it sometimes hybridizes.
A widely cultivated shrub with attractive foliage, adaptable to a variety of situations and soils. Acacia cardiophylla ‘Gold Lace’ is a prostrate registered cultivar, fide M.Hitchcock, Australian Plants 22: 325 (2004). Acacia cardiophylla has the capacity to become naturalised as the seed readily germinates in disturbed sites. It has become established in Wantirna, an outer Melbourne suburb, Vic., fide T.J.Entwistle et al. Fl. Victoria 3: 594 (1996).
FOA Reference
Data derived from Flora of Australia Volumes 11A (2001), 11B (2001) and 12 (1998), products of ABRS, ©Commonwealth of Australia
Author
M.D.Tindale, P.G.Kodela
Minor edits by B.R.Maslin & J.Reid
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