Acacia bancroftiorum Maiden (as ‘bancrofti’), Proc. Roy. Soc. Queensland 30: 26 (1918)
Spindly shrub or slender tree to c. 6 m high. Upper branches often pruinose. Branchlets dark reddish, often pruinose, glabrous. Phyllodes obliquely obovate to narrowly elliptic, curved near the much-narrowed base, 9–22 cm long, 2.5–8 (–16) cm wide, obtuse, usually glaucous, glabrous; midrib prominent and ±excentric; minor nerves forming an open reticulum; gland 0–4 mm above pulvinus, the pore narrow and elongated (often slit-like), 1–3 additional glands on triangular projections sometimes present; pulvinus 5–12 mm long. Inflorescences racemose, sometimes paniculate; raceme axes 3–8 cm long, sometimes longer, glabrous, sometimes appressed-puberulous; peduncles 5–8 mm long, glabrous, sometimes appressed-puberulous; heads globular, 25–40-flowered, pale lemon yellow or golden. Flowers 5-merous; sepals c. 5/6-united. Pods to 22 cm long, 9–15 mm wide, thinly coriaceous, slightly pruinose, glabrous. Seeds longitudinal, oblong to elliptic, 6–9 mm long, ±dull, black; funicle encircling seed in a single fold, thick, reddish brown; aril linear-clavate.
Common from Collinsville S to near Crows Nest and W to near Tambo, also the White Mtns area, Qld. Usually grows in shallow soil on rocky hillsides in Eucalyptus woodland or open forest. Near Kingaroy it occurs in deep alluvium and its foliage is then usually green, fide L.Pedley, Austrobaileya 1: 265 (1980).
Until recently this species had been known as A. bancroftii ; however, as the name commemorates both Joseph Bancroft and his son, Thomas Lane Bancroft, the correct termination for the name is "-iorum".
Specimens with hairy raceme axes and peduncles occur in the south-east of the range and are distinguished from A. falciformis by gland position and morphology. Glands also serve to distinguish the species from A. penninervis where ( A. falciformis also) the margin is often shallowly indented at the gland which is connected to the midrib by a fine oblique nerve. Resembles A. wardellii .
Acacia bancroftiorum appears to hybridise with A. macradenia (e.g. R.W.Johnson 893 , BRI) and A. falciformis (e.g. R.J.Henderson et al. 958 , BRI) in the Burnett and Leichhardt Districts respectively. The A. bancroftiorum x A. macradenia hybrids resemble A. holotricha .
This decorative species appears not far removed from the ‘ A. microbotrya group’.
Type of accepted name
Dry stony ridges at Beta, Qld, July 1913, J.L.Boorman ; holo: NSW n.v. , fide L.Pedley, Austrobaileya 1: 265 (1980); iso: BRI, K, MEL.
Synonymy
Racosperma bancroftii (Maiden) Pedley, Austrobaileya 2: 345 (1987). Type: as for accepted name.
Illustrations
B.A.Lebler, Wildfl. SE Queensland 2: 51 (1981); M.Simmons, Acacias Australia 179 (1981).
Representative collections
Qld: 21 km NNE of Springsure, M.E.Ballingall 2199 (BRI, PERTH, Z); ‘Warang Holding’, White Mtns, 37 km NNW of Torrens Creek, Fell & Swain DF1322 (PERTH); 21 km ESE of Rolleston, M.Lazarides & R.Story 8 (AD, PERTH); 60 km W of Collinsville on the Bowen Developmental Rd, T.Stanley 78353 & E.Ross (BRI).
(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.
