Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Known from only a few populations in the north-central wheatbelt region of south-western W.A., near Kalannie.

Description

Shrubs 0.5–1 m high. Bark light grey and smooth from base of stems to tips of branchlets. Branchlets glabrous. Phyllodes ascending to rather widely spreading, terete, shallowly incurved, (15–) 20–40 mm long, 0.8–1.5 mm wide, abruptly contracted to obtuse-mucronulate apices, smooth, dull, green to sub-glaucous, with 8, clearly separated longitudinal nerves; pulvinus orange. Inflorescences simple, 1 per axil; peduncles ±absent; heads obloid to shortly cylindrical, bright golden, very showy. Flowers 4-merous; sepals about 1/2-united. Pods moniliform to sub-moniliform, 2–5 cm long, 3–3.5 mm wide, dark brown, glabrous. Seeds longitudinal, 2–2.5 mm long, slightly shiny, black, minutely verruculose; aril conspicuous.

Habitat

Occurs on yellow gravelly sand on the slopes and near the base of low rises.

Specimens

W.A.: near Kalannie [precise locality withheld for conservation reasons], B.R.Maslin 7711 (PERTH); near Manmanning [precise locality withheld for conservation reasons], 11 Jan. 1972, B.H.Smith s.n. (PERTH).

Notes

Very closely related to A. multispicata but distinguished by its relatively short phyllodes with 8, widely-spaced-nerves. A better understanding of the complex variation patterns within A. multispicata is needed in order to properly assess the taxonomic status of Acacia sp. Manmanning (B.R.Maslin 7711). Phyllodes are very rarely 8-nerved in A. multispicata.

FOA Reference

Flora of Australia Project

Author

B.R.Maslin