Acacia conferta A.Cunn. ex Benth.
WATTLE
Acacias of Australia
Common Name
Crowded-leaf Wattle
Family
Fabaceae
Distribution
Occurs on the western slopes and plains of N.S.W. N from Warialda and Moree, from south-eastern Qld N to the coastal districts near Proserpine and inland as far as the W of Blackall, with one collection from near Cairns. The type locality, if correct, is further S than other collections of this species in N.S.W.
Description
Shrub or tree to 4 m high. Branchlets slender, with indumentum of sparse to dense ±spreading normally crisped or shallowly curved hairs. Phyllodes crowded, sometimes subverticillate, on short stem-projections, ascending to erect, linear-oblanceolate to narrowly oblong-elliptic, flat, 5–12 (–15) mm long, 1–2 mm wide, l:w = 4–10, obliquely and excentrically mucronulate with the mucro often ±incurved, often acute, green, glabrous or with scattered ±spreading short hairs, often finely longitudinally wrinkled when dry; midrib absent or obscure; gland small, 0.5–2 mm above pulvinus. Inflorescences simple, 1 per axil; peduncles (6–) 8–20 mm long, glabrous or indumentum similar to branchlets, ebracteate at base; heads globular, normally 20–25-flowered, bright yellow. Flowers 5-merous; sepals 1/4–1/2-united, sometimes free; petals normally 1.3–1.5 mm long. Pods normally to 6 cm long, 10–15 (–20) mm wide, firmly chartaceous, pruinose, glabrous. Seeds transverse, oblong-elliptic, 5–6 mm long, arillate.
Phenology
Flowers mainly Apr.–Aug.
Habitat
Grows in sand or loam, in dry sclerophyll Eucalyptus forest or woodland.
Specimens
Qld: Davies Ck, E of Mareeba, June 1960, W.T.Jones (BRI); subtropical New Holland [Maranoa R., Qld, fide L.Pedley, Austrobaileya 1: 248 (1979)], T.L.Mitchell ‘138’ (K); c. 120 km NW of Injune, I.R.Telford 5836 (BRI, NSW, BISH, PERTH). N.S.W.: 9.5 km by road E of Yetman, E.F.Constable 7132 (NSW).
Notes
Closely related to A. mariae (syn. A. tindaleae auct. non Pedley). Also close to A. arbiana. Vegetatively similar to A. ruppii. Sometimes confused with A. brunioides which is distinguished by its terete to subterete phyllodes. Phyllodes may superficially resemble some forms of A. lineata. A possible rare hybrid with A. decora occurs near Warwick, Qld (J.P.M.Brenan 15034, BRI).
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
Edited by B.R.Maslin
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