Acacia desmondii Maslin, Nuytsia 6: 33 (1987)
Shrubby tree 3–6 m high. Bark grey and fibrous on main trunk to c. 2 m above ground but then becoming ‘Minni Ritchi’ (red and exfoliating in narrow curly strips) on lateral branches. Branchlets terete, obscurely ridged, glabrous. Phyllodes linear, tapered towards base, sometimes curved towards apex, 12–23 cm long, 0.9–2.3 mm wide, acuminate, flattened but rather thick, glabrous, becoming subglaucous, uniformly finely striate, the midnerve not or scarcely more evident than the rest of the numerous closely spaced longitudinal nerves; gland 1, inconspicuous, basal. Spikes on condensed axillary racemes, 1.5–3.5 cm long, light golden. Flowers 5-merous; calyx 0.6–1.3 mm long, dissected for 1/6–1/3, puberulous; corolla 1.4–2.1 mm long, dissected for 1/2–2/3, nerveless, glabrous; ovary pubescent. Pods linear, raised over and constricted between seeds, straight to curved, 2.5–9 cm long, 2–3.5 mm wide, brittle, glabrous, longitudinally wrinkled. Seeds longitudinal, oblong-elliptic, 4–4.5 mm long, shiny, black; pleurogram with narrow, pale halo; areole open.
Known only from several Bores and Ranges (Rodinga, Train Hills and Pillar Ra.) on Allambi and Todd River Stns, N.T. Grows in dry rocky gullies and stony watercourses at the base of ranges and on rocky sandstone cliffs. Flowers probably July-Nov.
Type of accepted name
Atherrita Bore, Todd River Stn, N.T., 21 Aug. 1979, J.R.Maconochie 2507 ; holo: PERTH; iso: NSW, NT, PERTH.
Synonymy
Acacia desmondii is based on the following: A. nelsonii Maslin, J. Adelaide Bot. Gard . 2: 314; 315, fig. 6, 320, fig. 8 (1980), nom. illeg ., non Saff. (1914); Racosperma nelsonii (Maslin) Pedley, Bot. J. Linn. Soc . 92: 249 (1986). Type: as for accepted name.
Illustration
B.R.Maslin, op. cit . 315, fig. 6 (1980).
Representative collections
N.T.: Atherrita Bore, 57 miles [91.2 km] SE of Todd R. Stn, J.R.Maconochie 466 (NSW, NT); Atherrita Bore, 52 miles [83.2 km] SE of Todd R. HS, D.J.Nelson 1305 (NSW, NT).
(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.
