Acacia anfractuosa Maslin, Nuytsia 2: 96; 97, fig. 1 (1976)
Diffuse, open, rather spindly shrub or tree 2- 4 m high. New shoots resinous. Branchlets pendulous, flexuose, glabrous or minutely sericeous between resin-ribs and especially at nodes. Phyllodes widely spreading, linear, strongly incurved, sometimes sigmoid, rhombic to compressed-rhombic in section, sometimes flat, 8- 17 (- 20) cm long, 1- 2 mm wide, innocuous, green to grey-green, minutely sericeous between nerves, with broad, yellowish central nerve and marginal nerves, and 1- 3 finer, closely parallel intervening nerves. Inflorescences simple, mostly 1 or 2 per axil; peduncles 4- 11 mm long, sparsely to densely sericeous; heads globular to broadly ellipsoid, 7- 12 mm long, 6- 8 mm diam., subdensely 22- 32 flowered, golden. Flowers 5-merous; sepals 3/4-united. Pods linear, slightly raised over and constricted between seeds, curved, to 12 cm long, 1.5- 2.5 mm wide, firmly chartaceous, dark brown except for the broad, yellow margins, sericeous. Seeds longitudinal, linear-elliptic, 4.5- 5 mm long, glossy, mottled brown and cream; aril white.
Occurs from Kellerberrin E to Boorabbin, inland south-western W.A. Grows in yellow sand in sandplain heath, scrub and tall open shrubland.
Related to A. sciophanes which has a similar habit but is distinguished by its phyllodes being cruciate in section and having four broad longitudinal nerves alternating with four deep furrows. Also related to A. heteroneura which has straight phyllodes and non-pendulous, straight branchlets. Acacia merinthophora (sect. Juliflorae ) is very similar in habit to A. anfractuosa but is readily distinguished by its subsessile, obloid to short-cylindrical flower-heads and tetramerous flowers.
Type of accepted name
26 km E of Karalee on Great Eastern Hwy, W.A., 15 Dec. 1971, B.R.Maslin 2402 ; holo: PERTH; iso: CANB, K, NY.
[ Acacia merinthophora auct. non E.Pritz.: in sched., as A. hynesiana ]
Illustrations
B.R.Maslin, loc. cit .; M.Simmons, Acacias Australia 2: 95 (1988).
Representative collections
W.A.: near Kellerberrin, Dec. 1943, G.E.Brockway (PERTH); 1.6 km E of Boorabbin, C.A.Gardner 7998 (AD, B, BRI, CANB, K, MEL, NSW, PERTH); c. 10.5 km E of Muntadgin, B.R.Maslin 1822 (AD, B, BRI, CANB, K, MEL, NSW, PERTH); Chiddarcooping Nature Reserve, B.R.Maslin 6387 (CANB, PERTH, Z).
(RSC & 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.
