Acacia ferocior Maiden, J. & Proc. Roy. Soc. New South Wales 53: 194; pl. 11, figs 11–15 (1920)
Rigid, semi-prostrate to erect, compact or spreading shrub to 0.7 m high and 2 m diam. Branchlets short, straight, patent to erect, striate, spinescent, green, glabrous or hirtellous. Phyllodes linear to asymmetrically oblanceolate, 5–13 mm long, 1–2.5 mm wide, excentrically mucronulate at the often rounded, sometimes uncinate apex, green, glabrous or hirtellous, 1-nerved; lateral nerves few, obscure and trending longitudinally; gland inconspicuous, 1–2 mm above pulvinus. Inflorescences rudimentary 1-headed racemes with axes <0.5 mm long; peduncles 4–7 mm long, slender, glabrous; basal bracts brown; heads globular, 2.5–3 mm diam., 6–9-flowered, lemon yellow or golden; bracteoles absent. Flowers 5-merous; sepals united, the calyx often truncate. Pods strongly arcuate to coiled, c. 1 cm long (unexpanded), with valves c. 3 mm wide, firmly chartaceous, glabrous. Seeds longitudinal, ovate, c. 3 mm long, semi-shiny, black; aril linear-clavate.
Extending from near Wagin to S of the Stirling Ra. at Kamballup, E to near the Oldfield R., c. 56 km ENE of Ravensthorpe, south-western W.A. Grows in rocky or sandy clay, sandy loam or loam in Mallee scrub.
Similar to A. pulviniformis which forms dense, intricate mats and has obscurely ribbed to ribless branchlets and semi-terete to compressed, narrower phyllodes. Superficially similar to A. spinescens (S.A., Vic.) which usually has sessile flower-heads and conspicuous bracteoles. Phyllodes of some forms resemble A. imparilis .
Type of accepted name
Stirling Ra., W.A., Sept. 1901, E.Pritzel 706 ; holo: NSW; iso: K, MO, P, US, Z.
Synonymy
[ Acacia spinosissima auct. non Benth.: E.G.Pritzel, Bot. Jahrb. Syst . 35: 299 (1904), as to E.Pritzel 706 ]
Illustrations
J.H.Maiden, loc. cit. ; M.Simmons, Acacias Australia 2: 25 & pl. 11 (1988).
Representative collections
W.A.: near L. Wagin, 1890, M.Cronin s.n . (NSW); Stirling Ra., Red Gum Pass, B.R.Maslin 4007 (PERTH); 17.6 km SE of Jerramungup, K.Newbey 1300 (PERTH); 38.5 km E of Albany towards Jerramungup, S.Paust 506 (PERTH); 56 km ENE of Ravensthorpe, J.Taylor 757 et al . (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.
