Acacia filipes Pedley, Austrobaileya 5: 315 (1999)
Spreading shrub to c. 1 m tall and 2 m wide. Branchlets slender, angular, ribbed, resinous. Phyllodes terete (or drying somewhat angular), 8.5–15 cm long, 0.4–0.8 mm diam., glabrous, with a short oblique callus point; longitudinal nerves 8, parallel; gland basal or up to 5 mm from base, the phyllode usually slightly bent when gland not at base; pulvinus 1–1.5 mm long. Spikes 10–25 mm long, in pairs at base of rudimentary axillary shoot; peduncles slender, 35–45 mm long. Flowers 5-merous; calyx glabrous, c. 0.7 mm long, divided almost to base into oblong obtuse lobes; corolla 1–1.2 mm long, divided to about middle; stamens c. 3 mm long; ovary glabrous. Pods flat, linear, 4–4.5 cm long, 2.5–3 mm wide; valves slightly resinous, rather woody with raised anastomosing nerves. Seeds longitudinal to slightly oblique, dark grey, c. 3 mm long, 1.5 mm wide; aril cupular.
A rare species confined to the vicinity of Deaf Adder Gorge, Kakadu Natl Park, N.T., where it occurs at the top of the sandstone escarpment. Flowers collected Feb.; fruits collected in May.
Acacia filipes is not closely related to any other species (however, see A. kimberleyensis ). A combination of attributes (terete phyllodes, long filiform peduncles, deeply lobed calyx, pods with reticulately nerved valves and slightly oblique seeds with a closed pleurogram) sets it apart from all other species known to me. The Fox specimen has finer phyllodes than those of the type and came from a smaller plant but otherwise the two specimens are similar.
Type of accepted name
21 km N of Jim Jim Falls, near entrance to Deaf Adder Gorge, N.T., 1316’S, 13251’E, 29 May 1980, M.Lazerides 9075 ; holo: BRI; iso: CANB n.v .
Representative collection
N.T.: Deaf Adder Gorge, R.E.Fox 2564 (BRI, DNA).
(LP)
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.
