Common Name

Maiden’s Wattle

Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Occurs in Qld, N.S.W. and Vic. E of 148ºE, in coastal and subcoastal environments, from Proserpine in the north to Orbost in the south.

Description

Tree 5–20 m high. Bark smooth, fissured on older stems, grey or grey-brown. Branchlets with prominent lenticels, glabrous or sometimes sparsely appressed puberulous. New shoots glabrous or sparsely appressed puberulous, the hairs white or golden. Phyllodes very narrowly elliptic, elliptic or oblong-oblanceolate, falcate to subfalcate or sometimes ±straight, (7–) 10–20 cm long, (5–) 6–25 (–35) mm wide, chartaceous to thinly coriaceous, with 1–5 prominent longitudinal nerves; minor nerves numerous, longitudinally anastomosing; gland inconspicuous, (4–) 6–10 mm above pulvinus. Inflorescences simple or sometime vestigial racemes; peduncles 1–4 mm long, ±appressed puberulous with hairs white or golden; receptacles hairy as on peduncles; spikes 2.5–6 cm long, somewhat loosely flowered, white to cream or pale yellow. Flowers mostly 4-merous; calyx 0.4–0.6 mm long, dissected to 1/4–1/3, densely pubescent; corolla 1.2–1.7 mm long, dissected to 1/2–2/3, glabrous; ovary densely pubescent. Pods variably twisted or curled into loose spirals, subterete, 5–14 cm long, 2.5–4 (–5) mm wide, coriaceous-crustaceous. Seeds longitudinal, oblong to broadly elliptic, 4–5.5 mm long, dark brown, slightly reddish; areole open; aril orange.

Phenology

Flowers mostly Jan.–June.

Habitat

Grows usually in more fertile soils, sometimes derived from basalt, often on the edges of littoral rainforest.

Specimens

Qld: 8 km NE of Murgon, R.G.Coveny 2084 (A, AD, BRI, K, MEL, NSW, US). N.S.W.: Burning Mtn, 3 km NNE of Wingen, c. 13 km SE of Murrurundi, J.Pickard & R.G.Coveny 1085 (C, K, NH, NSW, U). Vic.: W45 Reeve Rd, 2 km W of Orbost–Buchan road, 6.5 km W of Orbost P.O., S.J.Forbes 904 & D.Cameron (MEL, NSW).

Notes

A distinctive member of the ‘A. longifolia group’ recognized by its lenticellular branchlets, thin textured, often falcate phyllodes which are tapered at base, densely pubescent peduncles and receptacles, and irregularly coiled, hard textured pods. Related to A. floribunda.

Details of ecology, utilisation, etc of A. maidenii are given in J.W.Turnbull (ed.), Multipurpose Austral. Trees & Shrubs 158 (1986).

FOA Reference

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

Author

Edited by B.R.Maslin

Dr M.D.Tindale and Dr P.G.Kodela with the assistance of M.Bedward, S.J.Davies, C.Herscovitch, D.A.Keith and/or D.A.Morrison