Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Restricted to SE of Ongerup with an early collection from ‘Gordon Ra.’ (probably near Gordon Inlet), south-western W.A.

Description

Spreading shrub 1–3 m high. Branchlets angled, resinous, ±appressed-puberulous; hairs golden ageing white. Phyllodes ±asymmetric, elliptic to oblong-elliptic, 1.5–4.5 cm long, 8–16 mm wide, obtuse-mucronate, resinous, appressed-puberulous when young on margins and main nerves, with hairs golden but often ageing white, sometimes ageing glabrous, with 2–4 main longitudinal nerves and openly reticulate in between; gland 0–1 mm above pulvinus. Inflorescences (1- or) 2‑headed racemes; raceme axes 2–8 mm long, resinous, sparsely to densely golden appressed-puberulous; peduncles 8–15 (–20) mm long, resinous, with indumentum as on raceme axes; heads globular to obloid, 5–6 mm diam., 62–75-flowered, golden; bracteoles trowel-shaped. Flowers 5-merous; sepals 1/2–3/4-united. Pods narrowly oblong, straight to ±sigmoidally curved, to 3.5 cm long, 5–6 mm wide, coriaceous, short-pilose with glistening white hairs, resinous. Seeds longitudinal, oblong-oval, 3.5–4 mm long, subglossy, dark brown; aril subapical, white.

Habitat

Grows in loamy sand on creek flats in Swamp Yate woodland.

Specimens

W.A.: Gordon Ra., G.Maxwell s.n. (K); SSE of Ongerup, K.Newbey 11825 (CANB, K, MEL, PERTH).

Notes

A member of the ‘A. flavipila group’. It seems close to A. loxophylla which is most readily distinguished by its smaller phyllodes with resin masses in their axils and shorter peduncles.

The G.Maxwell specimen is labelled ‘Acacia ixiophylla Benth. var. latifolia’ and was cited as such by G.Bentham, Fl. Austral. 2: 387 (1864), but the variety was never published.

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 J.Reid