Acacia galeata Maslin, Nuytsia 4: 394; 395, fig. 7, 396, fig. 8 & 408, fig. 14 (1983)
Bushy shrub or tree to 5–6 m high. New shoots citron-sericeous, the hairs ageing white. Branchlets glabrous. Phyllodes rather spreading, narrowly elliptic to lanceolate, inequilateral, straight to shallowly falcate, 6–11 cm long, 6–15 mm wide, acuminate, rather glaucous, glabrous, with 2–3 (- 4) main nerves with numerous fine, longitudinally anastomosing venules inbetween forming a microscopic reticulum. Inflorescences 3–5-headed, very reduced racemes, often appearing as axillary fascicles; raceme axes 1–1.5 mm long; peduncles 4–7 mm long, sparsely to densely appressed-puberulous; heads globular, 4–5 mm diam., 35–45-flowered, golden. Flowers 4-merous; sepals c. 1/2-united. Pods submoniliform, strongly raised over and constricted between seeds, to 18 cm long, 7–8 mm wide, coriaceous to subwoody, glabrous. Seeds longitudinal, broadly elliptic to oblong-elliptic, to 7.5 mm long, subglossy, dark brown; aril large, hood-shaped, orange.
Occurs in the Shark Bay area, W.A., from Wooramel S to Nerren Nerren on the mainland, also on Dorre Is. and Dirk Hartog Is. Grows in sand and loam, in scrub, shrubland and low woodland.
Without known close relatives but superficially similar to A. microbotrya which has 1-nerved phyllodes, heads in elongate racemes, pentamerous flowers and very different aril. Superficially similar in several respects to A. eremaea , another 4-merous species, which differs most obviously in its non-reticulate phyllodes, longer peduncles, non-racemose inflorescences, free sepals and inconspicuous aril.
Type of accepted name
12 km N of Woodleigh turn-off on North West Coastal Hwy, W.A., 2 July 1982, P.W.Hennig ; holo: PERTH; iso: CANB, K, MEL, NY.
Illustrations
B.R.Maslin, op. cit . 395, fig. 7 & 396, 8.
Representative collections
W.A.: Dirk Hartog Is., Apr. 1974, T.Evans (PERTH); 39.5 km S of Overlander Roadhouse on North West Coastal Hwy, B.R.Maslin 2781 (CANB, K, PERTH); Shark Bay, Voyage on H.M.S.Herald, W.G.Milne (K).
(RSC & 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.
