Acacia filicifolia Cheel & M.B.Welch, J. & Proc. Roy. Soc. New South Wales 65: 232; pls 7 & 8 (1932)
Fern-leaved Wattle
Shrub or erect tree 3–14 m high. Bark smooth, green, grey to dark brown, later fissured near base. Branchlets straight or zig-zagged, terete except towards apex, pruinose, with grey, slightly matted hairs, later glabrous; ridges 0.2 mm high. Young foliage-tips whitish to golden, pubescent. Leaves fern-like, herbaceous to subcoriaceous, dark green, paler beneath; petiole above pulvinus mostly 0.7–2.3 cm long, flattened vertically, usually with 1 orbicular, pubescent to glabrous gland at base of or near lowest pair of pinnae and 1–4, sometimes contiguous, additional glands; rachis (1.5–) 4–12 cm long, with 2–5 interjugary glands between pairs of pinnae, jugary glands sometimes absent; pinnae (3–) 5–14 pairs, 3–6.5 (–8) cm long; pinnules 23–68 (–93) pairs, closely spaced to crowded, linear, (3–) 4–10 (–12) mm long, 0.4–0.7 (–0.8) mm wide, with fine, appressed, white hairs (often only on margins) or glabrous, apex obtuse to broadly rounded. Inflorescences in axillary racemes, or axillary or terminal false-panicles. Heads 20–30-flowered, dark yellow; flower-buds compact. Pods almost straight-sided or indented between a few seeds, 3.5–13 cm long, 6–17 mm wide, subcoriaceous, blue to blue-black, pruinose, glabrous. 2 n = 26, B.G.Briggs, on M.D.Tindale s.n . (NSW80696).
Common, occurring from Stanthorpe, south-eastern Qld, to North and South Coast of N.S.W. from Legume S to Bateman’s Bay, as well as Northern and Central Tablelands, and North and Central Western Slopes of N.S.W. Grows in open forest, eucalypt scrub-woodland and savannah, on valley slopes or alluvial flats, often near streams, often on granite but on various strata and in sandy soils. Flowers late July- Oct.; fruits chiefly (Oct.–) Nov. –Jan.
Authorship of A. filicifolia is attributed to Cheel & M.B.Welch ex M.B.Welch, Coombs & McGlynn, J. & Proc. Roy. Soc. New South Wales 65: 225 (1932) by A.D.Chapman (in Australian Plant Name Index A-C , 1991), however this is incorrect under Article 34.1(b) of the ICBN (St Louis Code) 2000 since the name is used in anticipation of its future acceptance.
Closely related to A. storyi . Often grows with the closely related A. parvipinnula in N.S.W., but they do not hybridise.
Type of accepted name
Capertee, N.S.W., Sept. 1915, J.L.Boorman ; lecto: NSW7725, fide P.G.Kodela & M.D.Tindale (to be published in Appendix to Fl. Australia vol. 11, 2001) ; isolecto: K, MEL, NSW7736.
Synonymy
Racosperma filicifolium (Cheel & M.B.Welch) Pedley, Austrobaileya 2: 348 (1987). Type: as for accepted name.
Illustrations
E.Cheel & M.B.Welch, loc. cit .; D.A.Morrison & S.J.Davies, in G.J.Harden (ed.), Fl. New South Wales 2: 388 (1991).
Representative collections
Qld: 6.6 miles [10.5 km] E of Ballandean, L.Pedley 1599 (BRI, MEL). N.S.W.: 32 miles [51.5 km] NE of Glen Innes, R.Coveny 1926 (BRI, CANB, K, L, NSW, PERTH, US); 52.8 km E of Inverell, R.Coveny 12359 & J.Dalby (AD, B, BM, HO, MO, NY, PERTH, TL, US, Z); 1 mile [1.6 km] N of Gibber Swamp, Colo- Putty road, M.D.Tindale & B.G.Briggs (NSW80696).
(MDT & PGK)
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.
