Acacia wickhamii Benth. subsp. wickhamii
WATTLE
Acacias of Australia
Family
Fabaceae
Distribution
Occurs in the Kimberley region of W.A. E from the Dampier Peninsula (particularly the One Arm Point–Sunday Is. area) to the L. Argyle region, and into the N.T. as far E and N as Willeroo.
Description
Shrub 0.7–2 m high. Phyllodes mostly ascending to erect, dimidiately elliptic to narrowly elliptic, oblong-elliptic or sometimes ovate to lanceolate, straight but normally some or all shallowly to ±strongly recurved near apex, sometimes shallowly sigmoid, flat or slightly undulate, (0.8–) 1–2.5 cm long, 4–8 (–10) mm wide, l:w = 2–4. Peduncles 10–20 mm long; heads spicate or rarely obloid, 1–3.5 cm long. Pods to 6.5 cm long, 5–10 mm wide.
Phenology
Flowers recorded Nov.–Mar., May., June., Sept., probably throughout the year.
Habitat
Grows in red or yellow sandy loam or gravelly soil, in eucalypt woodland or open woodland with grassy or shrubby undergrowth, savannah woodland, open scrub or shrubland, often with spinifex, on plains, low hills or steep stony hillsides, often in undulating country. On Sunday Is. and other coastal areas in the West Kimberley region it grows in skeletal soil over rugged outcropping sandstone, on rocky ridges and cliffs.
Specimens
W.A.: Mount House Stn, J.S.Beard 6973 (DNA, NSW, PERTH); Sunday Is., W Kimberley, Nov. 1906, W.V.Fitzgerald (NSW); 26 km SE of Kununurra, M.Lazarides 8446 (CANB). N.T.: near Willeroo, B.Maloney 23/75 (CANB, K, NSW); 153 km W of Katherine, M.Parker 432 (DNA, NSW); 40.2 km W of Top Springs turnoff, Victoria Hwy, M.D.Tindale 10109, P.Munns & R.Turley (BRI, DNA, MEL, PERTH).
Notes
Distinguished most readily from subsp. cassitera by its phyllode width and length:width ratio, but there are also differences in phyllode shape and to a lesser extent, spike length.
The specimen B.J.Carter 549 (PERTH) that was noted by P.G.Kodela & M.D.Tindale, Fl. Australia 11B: 243 (2001), is now considered to be A. calligera.
FOA Reference
Data derived from Flora of Australia Volumes 11A (2001), 11B (2001) and 12 (1998), products of ABRS, ©Commonwealth of Australia
Author
P.G.Kodela, M.D.Tindale
Revised by B.R.Maslin
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