Common Name

Buffalo Sallow Wattle

Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Known only from the Buffalo Ra. in Vic.

Description

Shrub or tree to 6 m high, twisted. Branchlets glabrous. Stipules caducous, deltate, c. 1 mm long, with erose margins. Phyllodes oblanceolate, obovate or elliptic, commonly asymmetrical, 4–14 cm long, 1.5–6 (–7) cm wide, dark green; margins uneven and inconspicuously red resinous; apex obtuse; main nerves mostly 3; secondary nerves prominent, strongly anastomosing; gland small or obscure, 3–9 mm above phyllode axil; pulvinus present. Spikes solitary or twinned, to 6 cm long, interrupted, deep yellow; peduncles 2–6 mm long, glabrous; receptacles glabrous; bracteoles cucullate-conchoid, c. 1 mm long, c. 1 mm wide. Flowers 4‑merous; sepals united. Pods flat, straight to shallowly curved or sometimes irregularly undulate, thinly coriaceous-crustaceous, 2.5–11.5 cm long, 6–12 mm wide. Seeds elliptic, 5–7.5 mm long; funicle usually folded 3 times; aril turbinate.

Phenology

Flowers June–Dec. and fruits Nov.–Mar.

Habitat

It occurs above 350 m in woodlands and heath-lands often amongst granite boulders.

Specimens

Vic.: Mt Buffalo, M.Gray 5839 (CANB, MEL); Eurobin Ck Falls, A.C.Beauglehole 41678 (BRI, MEL).

Notes

Closely related to A. alpina but is much larger in all its parts (larger phyllodes, longer spikes and wider pods), the phyllodes have red resinous margins and its pods are woodier. The two species are sometimes sympatric and field observations and morphological criteria suggest that they sometimes hybridize (see Mt Buffalo N.P., N.G.Walsh 5163, MEL). In the same area A. phlebophylla also putatively hybridizes with A. dallachiana (see N.G.Walsh 5162, MEL). A member of the ‘A. longifolia group’ and similar to A. obtusifolia which also has red resinous phyllode margins, a character which distinguish both species from others of the group.

FOA Reference

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

Author

A.B.Court