Common Name

Nealie, Nelia, Broken Hill Gidgee, Myall

Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Occurs in western N.S.W. W of Hillston and N of White Cliffs, extending into S.A. to Oakbank Stn and Netley Gap; also in north-western Vic. near Merbein and Nathalia.

Description

Shrub or tree 3–7 m high with habit similar to that of A. papyrocarpa. Branchlets sometimes pendulous, appressed-puberulous, glabrescent. Phyllodes linear, subterete to flat, 5–11 cm long, 0.9–2 (–3) mm wide, acuminate with a fine delicately curved innocuous point, ±appressed-puberulous, with numerous closely parallel indistinct nerves. Inflorescences 2–6-headed racemes or simple in axillary clusters; raceme axes minute, 0.1–2 mm long; peduncles 4–7 mm long, appressed-puberulous, sometimes with reddish resin-hairs intermixed; heads globular, 4–5 mm diam., 25–36-flowered, golden; bracteoles spathulate, not ciliate. Flowers 5-merous; sepals free; petals glabrous. Pods submoniliform, to 10 cm long, (2–) 3–5 mm wide, chartaceous, smooth, finely appressed-puberulous to ±glabrous. Seeds longitudinal, elliptic, ±4.5 mm long, glossy, brown-black; aril small.

Habitat

Grows in solonised brown and red soils, in low woodland and tall shrubland, sometimes associated with chenopods, Casuarina cristata or members of the ‘Acacia aneura group’.

Specimens

S.A.: Danngali Conservation Park, Postmark, 2.5 km E of Outstation, 18 Sept. 1984, S.Barker s.n. (AD). N.S.W.: Fowlers Gap, N of Broken Hill, S.Jacobs 2305 (NSW, PERTH). Vic.: Cowra Stn, W of Merbein, N.A.F.Gibb 0820 (PERTH).

Notes

Closely related to A. papyrocarpa which, as presently interpreted, does not extend further E than the South Flinders Ra. in S.A.

A.B.Court, in J.H.Willis, Handb. Pl. Victoria 2: 237 (1973), refers to ‘A. sp. aff. A. sowdenii’ from north-western Vict.; further work is needed to confirm the status of these populations. Current indications are that most seem referable to A. loderi, but hybridity with A. melvillei (which was referred to by A.B.Court, in J.H.Willis, Handb. Pl. Victoria 2: 238 (1973), as A. aff. pendula) should not be discounted for at least some plants from this area.

FOA Reference

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

Author

R.S.Cowan, B.R.Maslin

Minor edits by B.R.Maslin