WATTLE

Acacias of Australia

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Acacia mollifolia Maiden & Blakely

Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Occurs in eastern N.S.W. on the Central Tablelands as far E as Rockley Mtn, near Bathurst, common on the Central Western Slopes from Peak Hill S to Boorowa and W to the Cocoparra Ra., South Western Plains. Has become weedy near McKay Reservoir, SE of Chewton, Vic.

Description

Pendulous shrub or tree 1.5–6 m high, with mallee habit. Bark smooth or fissured near base, grey, greyish black or brown. Branchlets with the surface and inconspicuous ridges densely silvery grey tomentose. Young foliage-tips silvery or silvery ferruginous, velvety. Leaves herbaceous to subcoriaceous, silvery grey; petiole above pulvinus mostly 0.2–0.7 cm long, terete, with 1 gland at base of or near lowest pinnae; rachis 1–4.5 (–6.5) cm long, with a spherical, tomentose jugary gland at base of each pair of pinnae; interjugary glands absent; pinnae 4–10 pairs, 0.8–3.5 (–4) cm long; pinnules 7–27 pairs, linear to cultrate, 2.5–7.5 mm long, 0.5–0.8 mm wide, silvery, velvety, obtuse or acute with a terminal tuft of hairs. Inflorescences in axillary racemes or terminal false-panicles; peduncles 1–7 mm long, hairy. Heads 20–42-flowered, golden yellow. Pods normally ±submoniliform, 3–12 cm long, 4–7 mm wide, coriaceous, tomentose with silvery grey or chestnut hairs to 1 mm long.

Phenology

Flowers Mar.–May; fruits late Oct.–Dec.

Habitat

Grows on dry rocky ridges, on flat alluvial land, in Callitris–Eucalyptus open forest or woodland, mostly on sandstone.

Specimens

N.S.W.: Bindogandri Ck, 14 miles [22.5 km] by road E of Parkes, E.F.Constable 7288 (NSW); 7 km WNW of Baldry P.O., R.G.Coveny 12088 & P.Hind (CANB, MEL, MO, NSW, NY, PERTH); Hervey Ra., E of Trewilga, 27 Apr. 1964, C.K.Ingram s.n. (A, AD, BR, BRI, K, L, NSW, NY, PERTH, UC, US); Rockley Mtn, 12 miles [19.3 km] S of Bathurst, C.K.Ingram s.n. (NSW64578). Vic.: McKay Reservoir, SE of Chewton, 20 June 2002, M.Sprague s.n. (MEL 2147346).

Notes

Closely allied to A. fulva. May be confused with A. leucoclada subsp. argentifolia which has more pairs of pinnae and interjugary glands; their distributions are also widely separated.

FOA Reference

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

Author

Minor edits by B.R.Maslin & J.Reid

M.D.Tindale, P.G.Kodela