Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Occasional to frequent in the Bucketty–Kulnura–Mangrove Mtn areas, N.S.W.

Description

Slender, spindly or spreading shrub to small tree to 4 m high; branches often pendulous. Branchlets sparsely to densely pubescent; longitudinal ridges to 0.4 mm high, not winged. Leaves dark to mid-green above, paler below; petiole to 5 mm long but often ±absent, pubescent, with a gland 0.7–1.8 mm long; rachis (0.6–) 2.5–8.5 cm long, pubescent, often with a small, inconspicuous gland at base of terminal pair of pinnae, interjugary glands absent; pinnae 3–13 pairs, 0.5–4.5 cm long; pinnules (4–) 6–15 pairs, well-spaced, oblong to narrowly oblong, broadly elliptic to narrowly elliptic, lanceolate or ±narrowly obovate to oblanceolate, 2.5–8.5 mm long, 0.8–4 mm wide, recurved, ciliate, apex acuminate. Inflorescences in axillary or terminal racemes or panicles; axes to 29 cm long, pubescent. Peduncles 4–15 mm long, pubescent. Heads 5–11-flowered, cream-coloured to pale yellow. Pods straight-sided or sometimes irregularly constricted between seeds, straight or curved, 3–13 cm long, 11–17 mm wide, coriaceous, brown, brownish black, purplish brown or purplish black, with minor transverse veins, sometimes rough over seeds, glabrous; margins prominent, paler.

Phenology

Flowers Mar.–Sept.; fruits Sept.–Dec.

Habitat

Grows in sandy soil on sandstone and sometimes in more loamy or clayey soil on softer rock lenses; often growing between sandstone boulders or on sandstone outcrops; prefers drier habitats on upper hillslopes and ridges above c. 200 m alt.; usually in open eucalypt forest or woodland; also occurs in grey clay in Eucalyptus crebra forest near Kurri Kurri in the Hunter Valley, N.S.W.

Specimens

N.S.W.: 32.9 miles [53 km] c. S of Broke on the rd to Kulnura, 1 mile [1.6 km] c. N of Bucketty, R.G.Coveny 4142 & R.Bisby (A, AD, B, BRI, CANB, K, L, MEL, MO, NSW, PERTH, RSA, U, UC, US); Walkers Ridge Forest Drive, Olney State Forest, P.G.Kodela 267 & T.A.James (CANB, MEL, NSW, PERTH, Z); E of Kurri Kurri, M.D.Tindale s.n. (NSW64670).

Notes

This species was treated as Acacia sp. B by P.G.Kodela & M.D.Tindale, Fl. Australia 11A: 223 (2001). It is related to A. terminalis with which it appears to hybridize. It is also related to Acacia sp. Howes Mountain (R.G.Coveny 4108).

FOA Reference

Data derived from Flora of Australia Volumes 11A (2001), 11B (2001) and 12 (1998), products of ABRS, ©Commonwealth of Australia

Author

P.G.Kodela

Revised by B.R.Maslin & P.G.Kodela