Acacia blaxellii Maslin, Nuytsia 12: 328 (1999)
Blaxell’s Wattle
Spreading, dense shrub 0.3–1.2 m high. Branchlets tomentulose to densely puberulous (hairs patent to appressed). Phyllodes on raised stem-projections, ascending to erect, narrowly oblong to oblong-elliptic, straight, 1–2 (– 2.5) cm long, 3–5 mm wide, l:w = (3– ) 4–6, obtuse, inconspicuously mucronulate, thick and fleshy, glabrous except pulvinus densely puberulous to tomentulose; midrib not prominent; lateral nerves absent or obscure; gland basal, obscure. Inflorescences rudimentary, 2-headed racemes with axes <0.5 mm long; peduncles 1–2 cm long, glabrous; heads globular, 3.5–4.5 mm diam., 17–31-flowered, golden. Flowers 5-merous; sepals free, sometimes absent. Pods variably undulate to circinnate or irregularly sigmoid, to 2 cm long, 3.5 mm wide, thinly coriaceous, glabrous. Seeds longitudinal to oblique, broadly elliptic, c. 2 mm long, glossy, black; hilum sublateral; aril linear-clavate, 2/3–3/4 length of seed, white.
Largely confined to an area between Frank Hann Natl Park (c. 160 km SW of Norseman) N to McDermid Rock (c. 100 km W of Norseman), except for one collection from near Hyden, c. 150 km W and one from near Norseman, c. 90 km due E, W.A. Grows in red-brown clay in flatland or in loam on low rocky hill-country, in shrub mallee or eucalypt woodland.
Similar to A. evenulosa which has minutely hairy branchlets, generally larger phyllodes with the gland 1–4 mm above the base; and A. saxatilis which has glabrous branchlets, generally larger phyllodes with the gland 1–2 mm above the base.
Type of accepted name
106 km S of Queen Victoria Rock on the road to Hyden, W.A., 22 Sept. 1983, B.R.Maslin 5418 ; holo: PERTH; iso: CANB, K, MEL, NSW.
Representative collections
W.A.: between Bremer Ra. and the Lake King- Kumarl road, B.R.Maslin 5431 (G, MO, PERTH); 25 km ESE of Tadpole Lake, Frank Hann Natl Park, K.Newbey 5537 (AD, NY, PERTH); 4.8 km E of Graham Rock turn-off on the Hyden- Newdegate road, M.H.Simmons 1327 (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.
