Acacia axillaris Benth. London J. Bot . 1: 341 (1842)
Erect or spreading, much-branched shrub, 2–4 m high. Stipules persistent, small, less than 1.2 mm long. Phyllodes linear, flat, 1–5.5 cm long, 1–1.8 mm wide, with pungent-pointed apex, often thick, rigid, the veins commonly 3 to each face, one prominent or, if phyllodes acicular or angular, then with 4 prominent veins and sometimes faint veins between them; gland obscure or absent; pulvinus absent or very short. Inflorescences with peduncles 1–2 mm long; spikes reduced to solitary or rarely paired clusters of 2–6 flowers less than 6 mm long; bracteoles navicular, c. 1 mm long, 0.6 mm wide. Flowers 4-merous rarely 3-merous; sepals united. Pods subcylindrical, slightly moniliform, 2–8 cm long, 2–3.5 mm wide. Seeds elliptic or cylindrical, 4–4.5 mm long; funicle folded once or twice; aril prominent.
Confined to Tas. and known only from a few restricted localities in open forests and woodlands between Campbell Town, Avoca and Lake Leake particularly near the Elizabeth R. Flowers Sept.–Oct. and fruits Feb.
Distinguished from A. verticillata by its longer phyllodes which are never whorled and its flowers in shortly pedunculate clusters and from A. riceana , its closest relative, by its shorter spikes on peduncles less than 2 mm long.
Type of accepted name
Van Diemen’s Land [Tas.], without locality and date, R.C.Gunn 132 ; n.v.
Synonymy
Acacia riceana var. axillaris (Benth.) Rodway, Tasm. Flor. 41 (1903); Racosperma axillare (Benth.) Pedley, Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 92: 248 (1986). Type: as for accepted name.
Illustration
M.H.Simmons, Acacias Australia 47 (1981).
Representative collections
Tas.: Royal Gorge, banks of St Pauls R., date and coll. unknown (HO); St Pauls R., near China Cup Hill, A.Moscal 811 (MEL); 10.9 km E of Campbell Town along Lake Leake Hwy to Swansea, F.E.Davies 902A & P.Ollerenshaw (MEL).
(ABC)
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.
