Acacia affin. ancistrophylla
Rigid, obconic shrub about 1.5 m tall. Branchlets minutely hairy at extremities (the hairs straight and spreading or appressed), soon glabrous. Phyllodes oblong-elliptic to elliptic or +/- obovate, (7–) 10–20 mm long, (3–) 5–9 mm wide, thickly coriaceous, erect, minutely hairy (hairs as on branchlets), slightly greyish green; longitudinal nerves numerous, very fine and close together; apices acute to obtuse, ending in a short, hard, brown, innocuous to coarsely pungent mucro. Flowers 5-merous; sepals free. Inflorescences mostly simple, 1–2 (–3) per axil; heads globular, golden; peduncles 5–8 mm long, widely spreading, dull red when in very young fruit, minutely hairy (hairs as on branchlets). Pods and seeds unknown.
This taxon is seemingly rare being known from only two populations in the northern wheatbelt region of south-west W.A., one from Petrudor Rocks, near Kalannie, and the other from near Koorda. The Petrudor Rocks population is large population and occurs in hard granitic clay-loam beneath low Mallee eucalypts in association with Acacia ligustrina and A. mackeyana .
The taxonomic status of this apparently uncommon taxon needs to be assessed in the light of more collections; fruiting material in particular needs to be examined. It appears to be most closely related to A. ancistrophylla but differs most obviously in its wider, minutely hairy phyllodes and by its longer peduncles.
Representative collections
W.A.: about 15 km due SW of Kalannie, B.R.Maslin 7714 (PERTH); 14.5 km S of Koorda towards Cowcowing, B.R.Maslin 2009 (PERTH).
(BRM)
This taxon was not included in the Fl. Australia treatment of Acacia. The above account is based on the treatment presented in: Maslin, B.R. (1998), Wattle of the Kalannie region: their identification, characteristics and utilisation. CDROM Publication. (Department of Conservation and Land Management: Perth.)
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.
