Acacia notabilis F.Muell.
WATTLE
Acacias of Australia
Common Name
Notable Wattle, Flinders Wattle, Stiff Golden Wattle, Mallee Golden Wattle
Family
Fabaceae
Distribution
Extends from the Gawler Ra. and southern Eyre Peninsula and Yorke Peninsula to Arkaba Stn in the Flinders Ra. and near the Murray R., S.A.; also near Nathalia and Meringur, Vic., and near Menindee and Broken Hill, N.S.W.
Description
Bushy spreading shrub to 3 m high. Branchlets dark red-brown, glabrous, not pruinose. Phyllodes narrowly elliptic to oblanceolate or narrowly oblanceolate, (5–) 6–13 (–15) cm long, (6–) 8–25 mm wide, normally obtuse, coriaceous, grey-green to glaucous, glabrous; midrib and marginal nerves prominent; lateral nerves obscure; gland normally 0–3 mm above pulvinus; pulvinus 2–6 mm long. Inflorescences mostly racemose; raceme axes 2–7 cm long, robust, glabrous; peduncles 2–6 mm long, rather stout, glabrous; heads globular, 27–36-flowered, bright golden; bracteole laminae evident in buds, dark brown to black, white-fimbriolate. Flowers 5‑merous; sepals at least c. 3/4-united. Pods stipitate, narrowly oblong, raised on opposite sides over alternate seeds, to 7 cm long, 8–14 mm wide, firmly chartaceous to slightly coriaceous, glabrous. Seeds transverse, oblong-elliptic, 4–7 mm long; funicle encircling seed, dark red-brown; aril clavate.
Habitat
Grows in sand or rocky sites in low woodland or open scrub.
Specimens
S.A.: Gawler Ra., Mt Partridge, c. 168 km W of Port Augusta, A.E.Orchard 989 (AD); Wharminda Soak (Wharminda is c. 90 km NNE of Port Lincoln), 10 June 1965, J.B.Cleland s.n. (AD). N.S.W.: Byrnedale Stn, near Menindee, 21 Nov. 1947, E.F.Constable s.n. (NSW). Vic.: N bank of Broken Ck, 9.5 km WNW of Nathalia, N.H.Scarlett 82-89 (MEL).
Notes
A member of the ‘Acacia microbotrya group’, related to A. anceps which is distinguished by its non-racemose inflorescences, peduncles 1–2.5 cm, heads 50–130-flowered, and crustaceous to woody pods. Putative hybrids occur between these two species on Eyre Penin., S.A., fide B.R.Maslin & D.J.E.Whibley, Nuytsia 6: 26 (1987). Also related to A. toondulya with which it putatively hybridizes; in the past A. notabilis had sometimes been confused with A. alcockii.
The N.S.W. specimen cited under A. notabilis by G.Bentham, Fl. Austral. 2: 365 (1864) is A. beckleri.
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, J.Reid & J.Rogers
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