Acacia carens Maslin, Nuytsia 10: 172 (1995)
Open, broom-like shrub to 0.6 m high. Branches terete, striate, green except for the prominent yellow ribs, mostly glabrous. Stipules narrowly triangular to narrowly oblong, 1.5–3 mm long. Phyllodes few and distant, continuous with branches, rudimentary and commonly comprising minute, stipule-like appendages 0.5–1 mm long, sometimes expanded to subterete to compressed, mucronate phyllodes 1–2 mm long. Inflorescences simple, mostly 1 per axil; peduncles 2–5 mm long, appressed tomentose-pubescent; heads globular, 8 mm diam., subdensely 13–14-flowered; bracteoles tomentose; buds obovate-apiculate. Flowers mostly 5-merous; sepals free to c. 1/4-united, oblong, with tomentose margins; petals flabellate-striate. Pods linear, curved, to 10 cm long, c. 4 mm wide, acuminate, crustaceous to subwoody, quadrangular by prominent, flat or shallowly convex margins 2 mm wide, glabrous or appressed-puberulous. Seeds (slightly immature) longitudinal, oblong, 5 mm long; aril terminal, conical.
Occurs in a restricted area between Jurien (c. 200 km NW of Perth) and Eneabba (c. 60 km NE of Jurien), south-western W.A. Grows in lateritic gravel or sandy gravel in low heath.
Resembling short peduncle forms of A. cummingiana which are readily distinguished by their 4-merous flowers. Formerly confused with A. volubilis , a possibly extinct species distinguished by its tortuous branchlets, recurved, subspinose stipules c. 0.5 mm long, better developed and normally longer phyllodes and gamosepalous calyx dissected to c. 1/2 its length.
Type of accepted name
Cockleshell Gully area, W.A., 28 May 1973, C.Chapman ; holo: PERTH; iso: CANB, K, MEL.
Representative collections
W.A.: [Cockleshell Gully area], C.Chapman s.n. , 23 Oct. 1977 (MEL, PERTH); 1 km ENE of Mt Peron, NE of Jurien, E.A.Griffin 2437 (PERTH); Gairdner Ra., NW of Mt Peron, B.R.Maslin 6573 (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.
