Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Occurs in south-eastern Qld from c. 82 km W of Emerald S to near the N.S.W. border, common near Kingaroy and Ipswich.

Description

Shrub or tree 2.5–10 m high. Bark slightly fissured, grey or grey-brown, mottled, later rough at base. Branchlets terete, faintly ridged, ±glabrescent, tomentose towards apices. Young foliage-tips ferruginous, densely fawn- or grey-tomentose. Leaves blue-green, ±glaucous; petiole 1–3 cm long, bearing 1 tomentose orbicular gland ±close to basal pair of pinnae; rachis (1.5–) 3–10 cm long, with 1 similar gland at or near base of all or some pinnae, occasionally eglandular; pinnae (2–) 3–8 pairs, 3.5–11 cm long; pinnules 12–33 pairs, cultrate to narrowly oblong, narrowly elliptic or ±lanceolate, 5–14 mm long, 2–4 mm wide, with midnerve closer to straight upper margin, and 1 or 2 shorter nerves (not reaching margin) between midnerve and convex lower margin, glabrous or with sparse, long, white or fawn hairs on upper surface, subglabrous or with ±dense white or fawn crisped hairs beneath, obtuse or subacute. Inflorescences in terminal or axillary false-panicles; peduncles 3–6 mm long. Heads globular, 15–30-flowered, pale yellow or cream-coloured. Pods ±straight-sided, 5–13 cm long, 6.5–10 mm wide, subcoriaceous, blue-green or blue-black, ±pruinose, sparsely fawn-puberulous.

Phenology

Flowers Feb.–July; fruits Sept.–Dec., July.

Habitat

Grows in open forest or woodland or mixed scrub woodland, on sandstone or sedimentary rocks, often in deep soils.

Specimens

Qld: Eidsvold, Mar., Aug. & Nov. 1918, T.L.Bancroft (NSW); W edge of Carnarvon Gorge Natl Park, D.F.Blaxell 1536 & J.Armstrong (BRI, NSW); 14.5 km NNW of Murgon, L.A.S.Johnson 7081 & B.G.Briggs (BRI, K, NSW, US); Planet Ck, c. 30 miles [48.3 km] NE of Rolleston Township, R.Story 303 & G.A.Yapp (CANB, NSW); 4 miles [6.4 km] S of Murgon, M.D.Tindale s.n. (NSW52679).

Notes

Cultivated in gardens and parks of inland tropical and subtropical areas, being moderately drought resistant but sensitive to frost.

Allied to A. polybotrya which is a shrub to 3 m high, flowering in July-Oct., with golden heads, (1–) 2–4 pairs of pinnae, 4–12 pairs of pinnules, moniliform pods and differently shaped funicle. The pinnules of A. glaucocarpa are more pubescent and more acute than in A. pruinosa which also occurs in south-eastern Qld. Acacia glaucocarpa possibly hybridizes with Acacia deanei subsp. deanei in the Barakula State Forest, Qld.

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