Acacia baueri Benth., London J. Bot. 1: 344 (1842)
Tiny Wattle
Rhizomatous subshrub to 0.5 m high. Branchlets glabrous or puberulous, the hairs antrorsely curved, sometimes tuberculate. Phyllodes whorled, sometimes scattered, straight or recurved in upper half, terete to compressed, 7–15 mm long, 0.5–1.2 mm wide, rostellate, often uncinate, glabrous or sparsely antrorsely puberulous, smooth or tuberculate, with a longitudinal groove on each face when dry; nerves not evident. Inflorescences simple, 1 per axil; peduncles 2–15 mm long, glabrous to sparsely puberulous, often decurved from base in fruit, withebracteate base; heads globular, 10–15-flowered, golden. Flowers 5-merous; sepals united. Pods narrowly oblong, shallowly curved, to 25 mm long, c. 3 mm wide, thinly coriaceous, finely longitudinally striate, glabrous. Seeds 1–3 per pod, longitudinal, oblong to shortly cylindrical, 4–5.5 mm long; aril convoluted.
Fraser Is., Qld S to Sydney, N.S.W. Two subspecies are recognised but intermediates occur at a few localities near Sydney, e.g. La Perouse, Molly Morgan Swamp and near Mt Keira. The key below is to typical representatives of the two subspecies.
Considered to be related to A. brunioides in sect. Phyllodineae rather than to tropical representatives of sect. Lycopodiifoliae , fide L.Pedley, Contr. Queensland Herb. 11: 10 (1972). Acacia brunioides differs in having a tall shrub habit, longitudinally rugose phyllodes when dry, more flowers per head, larger pods and transversely oriented seeds.
Peduncles 5–15 mm long; phyllodes in regular whorls, 1–2 cm apart, not conspicuously tuberculate
subsp. baueri
Peduncles 2–3 mm long; phyllodes rather crowded, scattered or in irregular whorls, tuberculate
subsp. aspera
Acacia baueri Benth. subsp. baueri
Branchlets glabrous or puberulous, not often tuberculate. Phyllodes in regular whorls 0.5–2 cm apart, smooth or occasionally tuberculate. Peduncles 5–15 mm long.
Low-lying coastal heath on infertile and often waterlogged sands from Fraser Is., Qld, S to Sydney, N.S.W. The subspecies is uncommon and is in danger of extinction in the extreme south-east of Qld and in the Sydney area, fide L.Pedley, Contr. Queensland Herb. 11: 10 (1972).
Type of accepted name
Australia, Bauer ; holo: K.
Synonymy
Racosperma baueri (Benth.) Pedley, Austrobaileya 2: 345 (1987). Type: as for accepted name.
Illustrations
F. von Mueller, Iconogr. Austral. Acacia dec. 3 (1887); B.A.Lebler, Wildfl. SE Queensland 2: 35 (1981); T.Tame, Acacias SE Australia 124, fig.129a- e, pl. 129a (1992).
Representative collections
Qld: Hollywell near Southport, L.Pedley 2178 (NSW). N.S.W.: Chinaman’s Beach, 3.2 km SE of Evans Head, R.Coveny 4592 (PERTH); near Coffs Harbour, T.Tame 1716 (PERTH).
Acacia baueri subsp. aspera (Maiden & Betche) Pedley, Contr. Queensland Herb. 11: 10 (1972)
Branchlets puberulous, tuberculate. Phyllodes in irregular whorls or scattered, rather crowded, with scattered tubercle-based hairs when young. Peduncles 2–3 mm long, usually hidden by the phyllodes.
Uncommon in N.S.W. where it occurs in coastal low heath S of Sydney at Royal Natl Park and near Wilton, also at Wentworth Falls in the Blue Mtns; grows in rocky sandstone areas.
Its low stature, ebracteate peduncle bases and striate pods are reminiscent of A. bynoeana which differs markedly in its flat, 3-nerved, pungent phyllodes. Sometimes confused with A. gordonii .
Type of accepted name
Wentworth Falls, N.S.W., Jan. 1907, W.Forsyth ; lecto: NSW, fide M.D.Tindale, Contr. New South Wales Natl Herb . 4: 75 (1968); Wentworth Falls, N.S.W., Apr. 1906, W.Forsyth ; paralecto: NSW.
Synonymy
Acacia baueri var. aspera Maiden & Betche, Census New South Wales Pl. 90 (1916). Type: as for accepted name.
Illustrations
T.Tame, Acacias SE Australia 124, fig. 129f–h, pl. 129b (1992).
Representative collections
N.S.W.: Royal Natl Park on the road to Warrumbul, R.Coveny 4211 et al. (NSW); ‘Little Switzerland’, Kings Tableland, T.Tame 1925 (PERTH).
(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.
