Common Name

Round-leaved Wattle, Gold-dust Wattle

Family

Fabaceae

Distribution

Apparently confined to the north-east of Mt Kaputar Natl Park, in the Waa Gorge to Terry Hie Hie and Rocky Ck areas of N.S.W.

Description

Openly branched, often spindly shrub to 1.5 (–2.5) m high. Branchlets erect, terete to slightly ribbed, densely hairy. Phyllodes with lamina mostly vertical or sometimes rotated to 45º (–90º) from plane of branchlet, flat or slightly distally twisted, elliptic to broadly elliptic, sometimes broadly obovate, (17–) 20–30 (–45) mm long, 10–12 (–23) mm wide, l:w = (1.6–) 2–2.3, dull, grey-green, clothed with spreading or bent hairs; base slightly asymmetric and acute; margin undulate; apex acute to obtuse and acuminate or mucronate; gland usually inserted 3–5 mm above pulvinus. Inflorescences with inclined peduncles, 8–16 (–20) mm long, about as long as floral phyllodes, sparsely hairy; heads 6–9 mm diam., 14–23-flowered, pale yellow. Corolla lobes with few to many long hairs. Pods oblong, flat to somewhat undulate, mostly curved, 35–65 mm long, (12–) 14–20 mm wide, firmly coriaceous, dull, light to dark brown, often slightly pruinose.

Habitat

Occurs on sandy loam or rocky areas in Eucalyptus and Callitris woodlands.

Specimens

N.S.W.: Inverell to Tingha, R.H.Cambage 944 (NSW); Waa Gorge, R.G.Coveny 8973 & S.K.Roy (NSW); Rocky Ck, Narrabri to Bingara road, G.J.Harden 6 (NSW); Terrergee [between Moree & Terry Hie Hie], E.H.F.Swain 15 (NSW); Rocky Ck ‘Glacial Area’, T.M.Tame 4164 (NSW).

Notes

This species is readily recognised in the field by its open, erect habit and densely yellowish to deep yellow (golden) hairy shoots and usually large and frequently obovate phyllodes, and pale yellow inflorescences which often lack floral phyllodes. Branchlet hairs are patent to antrorse, 0.4–0.5 mm long, whitish to fawn-coloured (yellowish to deep yellow on young shoots). Inflorescence hairs are patent to inclined and straight.

A recent revision by B.J.Conn and T.M.Tame, Austral. Syst. Bot. 9: 827–857 (1996) recognises seven species as comprising the ‘A. uncinata group’, namely, A. aureocrinita, A. clandullensis, A. cremiflora, A. piligera, A. sertiformis, A. uncinata and A. undulifolia.

FOA Reference

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

Author

B.J.Conn, T.M.Tame