Common Name

Kulin Wattle

Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Occurs in a very restricted area near Kulin in the south-central wheatbelt region of south-western W.A.

Description

Intricately branched, prickly shrub 0.5–1.5 m tall, terminal branches relatively undivided. Bark grey. Stipules evident below phyllode clusters, 2–3 mm long, slender, rigid,, shallowly recurved, pungent but normally brittle in upper 1/2 with commonly only basal portion persisting at mature nodes. Phyllodes in often short-nodose fascicles of 4–10 (–12), oblong to elliptic or obovate, (1.5–) 2–3 mm long, 0.6–1 mm wide, obtuse and innocuous, straight, slightly thickened, glabrous; nerves not visible or midrib very obscure; pulvinus distinct, 0.3–0.5 mm long; gland absent. Inflorescences simple; peduncles 4–10 mm long, slender, glabrous to sparsely hairy; heads globular, small (c. 4 mm diam.), 17–20 flowered, bright yellow. Flowers 5-merous; sepals free, linear-spathulate. Pods sub-moniliform, clearly raised over seeds and shallowly constricted between them, 20–50 mm long, 3–3.5 mm wide, thinly coriaceous, mostly strongly curved (sometimes into an open circle), curved/twisted or coiled upon dehiscence, light brown. Seed small (2.5–3.5 mm long), very dark brown to black; aril partially sheathing base of seed.

Phenology

Few collected specimens show this species as flowering in Sept. and with mature pods in Dec.

Habitat

Grows in often gravelly sand or sandy loam over clay in low shrubland.

Notes

Very species on account of its spiny stipules and fasciculate phyllodes that are very small, obtuse and shortly but distinctly pulvinate. Probably related to A. nodiflora which has longer, linear phyllodes, longer peduncles, larger heads and narrowly oblong, wider pods with larger seeds.

Conservation

Acacia kulinensis 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