Acacia crassa Pedley, Contr. Queensland Herb . 15: 9 (1974)
Single-stemmed shrub or tree 6–12 m high. Bark corrugated at base, dark brownish grey. Branchlets prominently angled, stout, grey or red-brown to almost black, often with distinct lenticels, glabrous or pubescent, often scurfy. Phyllodes very narrowly elliptic, gradually tapered both ends, flat, falcate or straight, 12–24 cm long, 3–25 mm wide, (to 30 cm long and wider in juveniles), acuminate , firmly coriaceous, glabrous or a few hairs at base, with 3 prominent main nerves of which 2 concurrent near base, the minor nerves 2 or 3 per mm, anastomosing infrequently; gland 1, basal, to 3 mm above pulvinus. Spikes (3–) 4–8 cm long, golden. Flowers 5-merous; calyx 0.6–1.2 mm long, dissected to 1/6, glabrous or with hairs mainly at apex and base; corolla 1.5–2 mm long, dissected to 1/2, glabrous; ovary densely pubescent. Pods linear to linear-falcate, raised over and slightly constricted between seeds, 4.5–10 cm long, 2.5–3 mm wide, chartaceous-coriaceous, glabrous. Seeds longitudinal, broadly elliptic, 3–6 mm long, black.
Occurs in Qld and N.S.W. more or less along the line of the Great Dividing Ra. from c. 25S to 33S and near the coast to c. 22S. Flowers late July–mid-Sept. in Qld, early Aug.–mid-Oct. in N.S.W.
Plants in the southern part of the range are more variable than those in the north, especially in the density of the spikes, width of the phyllodes and length of the pulvini. The coastal plants are more pubescent.
A member of the ‘A. cunninghamii group’ (see A. concurrens ), related to A. concurrens , A. leiocalyx , A. longispicata and A. tingoorensis .
There are 2 subspecies, one occupying a smaller northern part of the range and the type subspecies occupying most of the range.
Branchlets, pulvini and the bases of mature phyllodes glabrous but often scurfy
subsp. crassa
Branchlets, pulvini and the bases of mature phyllodes pubescent
subsp. longicoma
Acacia crassa Pedley subsp. crassa
Branchlets glabrous but often scurfy. Phyllodes, including the pulvinus, glabrous but sometimes scurfy. Phyllodes on young plants strongly falcate, to 30 cm long, fide L.Pedley, Austrobaileya 1: 177 (1978).
Occurs in the Burnett, Wide Bay and Darling Downs districts, Qld, and the North Western Plains and Central Western Slopes, N.S.W. Grows in open woodland, open eucalypt scrub or in mixed Eucalyptus-Callitris forests on rocky hillsides often on conglomerate and sandstone, in skeletal sandy soils or sandy loams.
Type of accepted name
c. 28 miles [44.8 km] SSW of Dalby on Moonie Hwy, Qld, Sept. 1961, L.Pedley 810; holo: BRI.
Synonymy
Racosperma crassum (Pedley) Pedley, Austrobaileya 2: 347 (1987); R. crassum (Pedley) Pedley subsp. crassum , Austrobaileya loc. cit. Type: as for accepted name.
Illustration
J.H.Maiden, Forest Fl. New South Wales 4(6): pl. 137 (1909), as A. cunninghamii Hook.; K.A.W.Williams, Native Pl. Queensland 2: 21 (1984); M.Simmons, Acacias Australia 2: 265 (1988); T.Tame, Acacias SE Australia 32, fig. 4; pl. 4 (1992).
Representative collections
Qld: 87.7 km from Chinchilla towards Mundubbera, N.Hall H 77/67 (BRI, NSW); Eidsvold–Gayndah road, c. 7 miles [11.2] km from Eidsvold, R.W.Johnson 890 (BRI, NSW). N.S.W.: Owens Gap, 10.7 miles [17.6 km] WNW of Scone P.O., R.G.Coveny 5924, P.Hind & R.Hancock (A, AD, CANB, G, LE, Z); Lees Pinch, Wollar–Merriwa road, 17 Oct. 1953, M.D.Tindale & C.K.Ingram (AD, B, MEL, NSW).
Acacia crassa subsp. longicoma Pedley, Austrobaileya 1: 178 (1978)
Branchlets sparsely to densely pubescent. Pulvini and base of mature phyllodes usually pubescent, often only sparsely so on more mature phyllodes. Young plants, including the phyllodes, pubescent; phyllodes straight, to 20 cm long, fide L.Pedley loc. cit. (1978).
Occurs in north-eastern Queensland between 22 and 25S, common in eucalypt woodlands and open forests, varying from single trees to a dominant component of the understorey.
The spikes are often less dense than in subsp. crassa.
Type of accepted name
6 km WNW of Gin Gin, Qld, Aug. 1973, L.Pedley 4080 ; holo: BRI; iso: A, CANB, K.
Synonymy
Racosperma crassum subsp. longicomum (Pedley) Pedley, Austrobaileya 2: 347 (1987). Type: as for accepted name.
Representative collections
Qld: 70.5 km from Biloela towards Monto, N.Hall H74/69 (FRI, NSW); c. 15 km E of Rockhampton, L.Pedley 4154A (BRI, CANB, K, MEL, NSW); 1.7 miles [2.7 km] W of Torilla HS, N.H.Speck 1722 (BRI, CANB, NSW).
(NSW)
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.
