Common Name

Kydra Wattle

Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Confined mainly to auriferous country in the Deua Natl Park area and c. 65 km SSW in the Kydra Reefs area SE of Cooma. N.S.W.

Description

Multistemmed shrub 1–2 m high. Branchlets red-brown, glabrous. Phyllodes on raised stem-projections, ascending to erect, oblanceolate to narrowly oblanceolate, (2–) 3–7 (–8) cm long, 8–15 mm wide, obtuse, thick, coriaceous, glabrous; midrib prominent, commonly ±excentric; marginal nerves prominent; lateral nerves obscure or absent; glands 1–3, ±not exserted, with the lowermost 0–6 mm above pulvinus. Inflorescences racemose; raceme axes 0.5–3 (–4) cm long, glabrous; peduncles 1.5–3 mm long, glabrous, subglabrous when young; heads globular, 12–25-flowered, yellow; bracteoles dark brown, prominent in buds. Flowers 5-merous; sepals ±free. Pods linear to narrowly oblong, to 8 cm long, 5–8 mm wide, firmly chartaceous, dark brown to black, glabrous. Seeds longitudinal, oblong-elliptic, 4–4.5 mm long, dull or slightly shiny, black; funicle partially or wholly encircling seed in a single fold, reddish; aril clavate.

Specimens

N.S.W.: ‘Mtns of the Moon’, Deua Natl Park, G.Moran & L.Thomson 107 (PERTH); Kydra Reefs, 3 Nov. 1971, M.Parris s.n. (NSW, PERTH).

Notes

A member of the ‘Acacia microbotrya group’, related to A. amoena which is distinguished especially by its exserted phyllode glands and 6–12-flowered heads, see M.D.Tindale, Telopea 1: 435 (1980), for additional distinguishing characters.

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

Minor edits by B.R.Maslin