Acacia galioides Benth. London J. Bot. 1: 344 (1842)
Spreading shrub to 0.5 m high. Stems glabrous or hairy, occasionally glaucous. Stipules 0.8–3 mm long, scarious. Phyllodes 5–9 per whorl, slightly flattened, straight or slightly recurved, 2–8 mm long, abruptly contracted into mucro, puberulous, pilose or glabrous, with an impressed adaxial nerve, obscurely ribbed beneath. Peduncles 4–15 mm long, glabrous or hairy. Heads 10–25-flowered. Flowers 5- or 6-merous, striate; calyx 0.6–1.4 mm long, thick, striate, the lobes broadly triangular; corolla lobes striate, hispid to almost glabrous. Pods stipitate, linear, straight to curved, to 50 mm long, 4–6 mm wide, pruinose, glabrous, somewhat viscid; margins nerve-like. Seeds longitudinal, 3.5–5 mm long; pleurogram closed.
Occurs in sandy and shallow rocky soils and ranges from the the eastern part of the Kimberley region, W.A., through central N.T. and north-western Qld to the eastern highlands of Qld from about Clermont to Herberton.
Possibly hybridizes with A. perryi .
The indumentum of short hairs (when present) and stipitate (7–10 mm long) pod distinguish this species from all others of the group, and it is difficult to specify its nearest relative. There are gradations in such characters as indumentum and size of flowers, here treated as 3 varieties. These are not ecologically differentiated to any great extent and one collection ( Perry 1356 ), a mixture of A. galioides var. galioides and A. galioides var. glabriflora , indicates that more than one variety may occur in a locality.
Acacia galioides var. galioides and A. galioides var. glabriflora occur throughout the range, but the latter is probably more common in the eastern part. Acacia galioides var. leioclada is found only in the east. Pedley (pers. comm.) now considers that the varieties should no longer be recognised formally.
Key
1 Phyllodes puberulous to pilose; calyx to 0.8 mm long
var. galioides
1: Phyllodes glabrous, rarely pilose; calyx 0.7–1.4 mm long
2 Stems puberulous; calyx and corolla with marginal hairs
var. glabriflora
2: Stems and flowers glabrous
var. leioclada
Acacia galioides Benth. var. galioides
Stems puberulous. Phyllodes puberulous to pilose. Calyx 0.7–0.8 mm long, hispid or with hairs confined to margins; corolla 2–2.2 mm, with hispid to almost glabrous lobes.
Occurs from the north-eastern Kimberley region, W.A., through northern N.T. to north-central Qld.
Type of accepted name
Without locality, [Australia], F.Bauer ; n.v.
Synonymy
Racosperma galioides (Benth.) Pedley, Austrobaileya 2: 349 (1987). Type: as for accepted name.
Acacia galioides var. typica Domin, Biblioth. Bot . 89: 252 (1926), nom. inval .
Illustration
F.Mueller, Iconogr. Austral. Acacia dec. 3 [pl. 2] (1887).
Representative collections
W.A.: Panton R., Kimberley District, 1888, E.Giles (MEL). N.T.: 10 km SW of Pentland, M.Lazarides 3575 (BRI, CANB, MEL); c. 25 km NE of Alexandra Stn, R.A.Perry 1494 (BRI, CANB, NSW); 43 km SSW of Delamere Stn, R.A.Perry & M.Lazarides 2853 (BRI, CANB, MEL, NT). Qld: 14 km E of Riversleigh, R.A.Perry 1445 (CANB, MEL).
Acacia galioides var. glabriflora (Domin) Pedley, Contr. Queensland Herb . 11: 15 (1972)
Stems puberulous to pubescent. Phyllodes glabrous or rarely pilose. Calyx 0.8–1.4 mm long, with a few hairs on margins; corolla 1.8–2.4 mm long, with a few hairs on lobe margins.
Occurs mainly in north-central Qld but with records in the east Kimberley region, W.A. and north-western N.T.
Differs from var. galioides in having glabrous phyllodes, and somewhat more glabrous and sometimes larger flowers.
Type of accepted name
Mt Remarkable, near Pentland, Qld, Mar. 1910, K.Domin ; holo: PR.
Synonymy
Acacia glabriflora Domin, Biblioth. Bot . 89: 251 (1926). Type: as for accepted name.
Illustration
L. Pedley, op.cit . 3, fig. 1c.
Representative collections
W.A.: near Ord R., 1886, O’Donnell (MEL). N.T.: Victoria R., N.Byrnes 731 (BRI, NT). Qld: 13 km NNW of Coalbrook Stn, M.Lazarides 4506 (CANB, MEL); Stannary Hills, Apr. 1962, McKee 9431 (BRI, CANB, MEL); 17 km SE of Westmoreland Stn, R.A.Perry 1356 (BRI, CANB, MEL).
Acacia galioides var. leioclada (Domin) Pedley, Contr. Queensland Herb . 11: 15 (1972)
Stems and phyllodes glabrous. Calyx 0.7–1.1 mm long, glabrous; corolla 2–2.6 mm long, glabrous.
Occurs in the N.T. and north-central Qld.
Differs from var. galioides in being quite glabrous and in having somewhat larger flowers. A striking plant because of its lack of indumentum.
Type of accepted name
Walsh R., N of Chillagoe, Qld, Feb. 1910, K.Domin ; holo: PR.
Synonymy
Acacia leioclada Domin, Biblioth. Bot . 89: 251 (1926). Type: as for accepted name.
Representative collections
N.T.: Limbunya, C.Dunlop 3536 (BRI, DNA, NT); E of East Baines R., G.J.Leach 2400 & C.R.Dunlop (DNA). Qld: range near Percy Douglas Ck, Bowman (MEL); Sandy Tate R., L.J.Brass 1744 (BRI, CANB); Mt Garnet, Oct. 1944, McKellar (BRI).
(ASG)
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.
