Acacia affin. trachycarpa
Spreading shrub to 3 m tall. Bark ‘Minni Ritchi’, red–brown. Branchlets angular towards apices, finely ribbed and with spreading hairs. Phyllodes narrowly oblanceolate or sometimes linear, 2–7 cm long, 1.5–3 mm wide, coriaceous, viscid, 3–nerved with a prominent midrib and 2 minor nerves either side, upper margin broader than lower margin, nerves and margins sparsely to moderately hairy, hairs spreading; gland inconspicuous; apices with a fine pungent point. Spikes 10–35 mm long. Flowers 5-merous. Pods narrowly oblong to linear, straight to (shallowly) curved, flat, 3–11 cm long, 5–8 mm wide, viscid, with moderately dense, spreading hairs; nerves finely reticulate.
Occurs in the Great Sandy Desert–Lake Mackay region of central Australia, in W.A. and N.T. Grows on the crests of aeolian sand dunes in red sands. Flowers July.
Differs from the more westerly distributed A. trachycarpa mainly by its more pungent, often narrowly oblanceolate phyllodes, its straight or generally less obviously curved pods and its sand dune habitat. Further study is required to assess its taxonomic status. Its closest relative is typical A. trachycarpa , which has affinities with A. chisholmii , A. effusa , A. gracillima and A. lysiphloia .
Representative collections
W.A.: between Gary Junction and Sandy Blight Junction, J.S.Beard 4910 (PERTH); 53 mile E of Jupiter Well, A.S.George 9061 (CNRS, MEL, PERTH, TLF). N.T.: SSE of Lake Mackay, P.K.Latz 12836 (CANB, DNA, K, NSW, NT, PERTH); Lake Mackay on island on SE edge of lake, P.K.Latz 12853 (AD, BRI, DNA, K, NT, PERTH); L. White System, J.R.Maconochie 929 (NSW, NT).
(MWM)
This taxon is noted in Fl. Australia treatement under A. trachycarpa.
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.
