Acacia cummingiana Maslin, Nuytsia 10: 175 (1995)
Sprawling, straggly, rush-like subshrub to 0.4 m high. Branches terete, striate, green except for the yellow ribs, glabrous. Phyllodes reduced to continuous, thin, horizontally flattened, narrowly oblong to narrowly triangular scales 1.5–4 mm long. Inflorescences simple, 1 or 2 in axils of scales; peduncles 4–15 mm long, glabrous; heads globular, c. 8 mm diam. (when dry), somewhat loosely 8–12-flowered, bright light golden; buds obovate-apiculate, 2 mm wide. Flowers 4-merous; sepals 1/2–2/3-united, c. 1/2 length of petals; petals flabellate-striate. Pods valves 4–7 cm long, 8–10 mm wide, stipitate, acuminate, coriaceous-crustaceous, shallowly curved, acutely quadrangular by flat, winged margins 3- 4 mm wide, glabrous. Seeds presumably oblique, oblong-elliptic, 5.5 mm long; aril terminal, conical.
Restricted to a small area from Watheroo Natl Park (c. 40- 60 km NW of Moora) S to Wannamal (c. 25 km due NE of Gingin), south-western W.A. Grows in sand or lateritic gravel, in closed heath or low open woodland (of Banksia prionotes and Eucalyptus todtiana ) over heath.
Until now this species was confounded with A. volubilis , fide B.R.Maslin, op. cit. 176. It is most closely related to A. tetragonocarpa and A. aemula and specimens with short peduncles can be mistaken for A. carens .
Type of accepted name
NE of Dandaragan, W.A., 24 May 1979, R.J.Cranfield 1261 ; holo: PERTH.
Representative collections
W.A.: NE of Badgingarra, T.E.H.Aplin 3150 (CANB, PERTH); 4 km from Brand Hwy on West Wannamal Rd, R.J.Cumming 715 (K, 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.
