Acacia acuaria W.Fitzg., J. Western Australia Nat. Hist. Soc . 1: 7 (1904)
Diffuse, much-branched shrub to c. 1.5 m high. Branchlets spinose, often lightly pruinose, glabrous or puberulous-hirsutellous. Stipules caducous, conspicuous on new shoots. Phyllodes patent to ascending, usually acicular and terete to subterete (often drying flat), 6–20 mm long, c. 1 mm wide, pungent, rigid, finely longitudinally sulcate when dry, green, usually glabrous; midrib not prominent. Inflorescences 1-headed rudimentary racemes with axes <0.5 mm long; peduncles usually 4–12 mm long, glabrous; basal bracts persistent; heads globular, usually 14–23 flowered, golden; bracteoles sessile to subsessile, concave, oblong to widely ovate, visible between flowers in buds. Flowers 5-merous; sepals c. 2/3-united. Pods raised over seeds, strongly curved to openly once-coiled, to c. 5 cm long, 3.5–5 mm wide, firmly chartaceous to thinly crustaceous, dark brown to black, glabrous. Seeds longitudinal, elliptic, c. 3 mm long; aril about as long as seed.
Occurs principally from near the Murchison R. SE to near Merredin with outliers at Fields Find, Mt Jackson and near Bullfinch, south-western W.A. Grows in a variety of habitats but commonly in clay or sandy clay in Eucalyptus woodland or open Mallee scrub.
Phyllodes commonly resemble those of A. sessilis and A. aculeatissima . A variant from the Wongan Hills, characterised by puberulous phyllodes with oblique, sometimes recurved apices and small pods (15–20 mm x 3 mm), is noted in B.R.Maslin, Nuytsia 4: 29 (1982). A collection from near Bullfinch is atypical in its sessile, 6-flowered heads (e.g. B.R.Maslin 1958a , PERTH).
Type of accepted name
Cunderdin, W.A., Aug. 1903, W.V.Fitzgerald s.n. ; lecto: PERTH 00739359, fide B.R.Maslin & R.S.Cowan, Nuytsia 9: 389 (1994); isolecto: NSW; Cunderdin, W.A., Nov. 1903, W.V.Fitzgerald s.n. ; paralecto: NSW, PERTH 00739340; Mingenew, W.A., Sept. 1903, W.V.Fitzgerald s.n. ; paralecto: NSW.
Illustration
M.Simmons, Acacias Australia 2: 49 (1988).
Representative collections
W.A.: Junga Dam, Kalbarri, D. & B.Bellairs 1632 (B, PERTH); 52.4 km from Wubin towards Mount Magnet, B.R.Maslin 3541 (PERTH); Mt Jackson, K.Newbey 9098 (PERTH); near T-junction of Great Eastern Hwy with Merredin- Bruce Rock road, M.D.Tindale 3731 (AD, BRI, CANB, K, L, MEL, NSW, PERTH, TL).
(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.
