Acacia acoma Maslin, Nuytsia 12: 315 (1999)
Open, somewhat gangling, glabrous shrub 0.5–2.5 m high. Branchlets angled at extremities, faintly to moderately pruinose. Stipules caducous. Phyllodes occasionally continuous with branchlets but not forming cauline wings, narrowly oblong-elliptic to narrowly oblong-oblanceolate or elliptic to obovate, rarely lanceolate, mostly 1.5–3 cm long and 7–12 mm wide with l:w = 1.5–3, often slightly twisted, sometimes recurved and shallowly concave, with coarsely pungent mucro, thickly coriaceous, smooth, grey-green to glaucous; midrib not prominent; lateral nerves absent; marginal nerves prominent, yellow; gland 1–5 mm above pulvinus. Inflorescences rudimentary, 2-headed racemes with axes 0.5–1 mm long; peduncles 8–21 mm long; heads globular, 30–37-flowered, golden. Flowers 5-merous; sepals free. Pods strongly arcuate to spirally or irregularly coiled, terete to semi-terete, to c. 1.5 cm long (unexpanded), 2–3 mm wide, thinly coriaceous, pruinose when young. Seeds longitudinal, oblong to widely elliptic, 2.5–3 mm long, mottled; aril conical, white.
Extending from Yorkrakine (c. 70 km due W of Merredin) E to near Sinclair Soak (Sinclair Soak is c. 50 km NE of Norseman) and S to the Bremer Ra. (c. 105 km due SW of Norseman), south-western W.A. Grows in sand, sandy loam, clay, clayey sand or loam and clay, in low hilly or flat country, in mallee shrubland or eucalypt woodland.
As with many Acacia species, the habit of plants along road verges is usually denser than under natural conditions. A variant from around Yorkrakine has phyllodes (at least when young) continuous with branchlets (but not forming cauline wings), not unlike those of A. anceps .
Similar to A. merrallii which has a denser habit, usually minutely puberulous and non-pruinose branchlets, appressed-puberulous phyllodes (at least when young) and seeds with a bright yellow to orange aril. Also similar to A. glaucissima which has terete, ribbed, non-pruinose branchlets, phyllodes with conspicuous midrib and marginal nerves, persistent stipules, longer pods and yellow aril.
Type of accepted name
Bremer Ra. near Mt Glasse, W.A., 23 Sept. 1983, B.R.Maslin 5428 ; holo: PERTH; iso: CANB, K, MEL.
Representative collections
W.A.: 1 km S of Yorkrakine, B.R.Maslin 6133 (PERTH); c. 52 km due ESE of Narembeen, 10 km S of Anderson Rocks Rd on the Humps Rd, B.R.Maslin 6150 (CANB, K, MEL, PERTH); 33 km ESE of Sinclair Soak, K.Newbey 7011 (PERTH).
(BRM)
The information presented here originally appeared on the WATTLE CD-ROM which was jointly published by the Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra, and the Department of Parks and Wildlife, Perth; it was produced by CSIRO Publishing from where it is available for purchase. The WATTLE custodians are thanked for allowing us to post this information here.
