WATTLE

Acacias of Australia

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Acacia tephrina Pedley

Common Name

Boree

Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Disjunct, occurring on Brunchilly and Benmara Stns, Barkly Tableland, N.T., and also in central Qld, mostly W of the Great Divide, from Einasleigh S to near Cunnamulla, but reaching the coast near Bowen.

Description

Tree to 20 m high. Bark fissured and flaky, dark grey. Branchlets densely silvery white appressed-puberulous, often glabrescent. Phyllodes linear, straight to shallowly recurved, 7–11 (–15) cm long, 2–4.5 (–6) mm wide, arcuate-acuminate, densely silvery white appressed-puberulous (the hairs confined to between the nerves with age), with numerous closely parallel fine nerves. Inflorescences 2–10-headed racemes; raceme axes 1–8 mm long, densely appressed-puberulous; peduncles 4–12 mm long, densely appressed-puberulous, with hairs pale yellow ageing white; heads globular, 4.5 mm diam., 20–35-flowered, golden. Flowers 5-merous; sepals at least 3/4-united. Pods linear, ±straight-edged, flat, scarcely raised over seeds, to 6.5 cm long, 5–6 mm wide, coriaceous, densely silvery appressed-puberulous; marginal nerve evident. Seeds longitudinal, 5.5 mm long; aril small.

Habitat

Grows mainly in heavier soils, including alkaline and saline clays, in tall open woodland and, in drier areas, low woodland and shrubland.

Specimens

N.T.: c. 2 km N of Benmara HS, B.W.Strong 256 (DNA); No. 11 Bore, Brunchilly Stn, B.W.Strong 318 (DNA). Qld: 42 km S of Bowen on main highway, I.B.Armitage 1190 (NSW, PERTH); 4 miles [6.4 km] SE of Einasleigh, L.Pedley 2113 (BRI n.v., K, NSW).

Notes

Related to A. maconochieana. Formerly confused with A. cana. Putatively hybridizes with A. cambagei SW of Longreach, Qld.

FOA Reference

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

Author

R.S.Cowan, B.R.Maslin

Minor edits by B.R.Maslin