Acacia glaucoptera Benth., Linnaea 26: 604 (1855)
Clay Wattle , Flat Wattle
Prostrate or erect shrub to 1.5 m high; branches often somewhat gangling. Branchlets straight to slightly flexuose, glabrous. Stipules persistent or caducous. Phyllodes continuous with branchlets, bifariously decurrent and forming opposite wings with each one extending to the next below, usually 2.5–7 cm long and 0.6–2 cm wide, occasionally undulate, coriaceous, glaucous, glabrous except axils densely tomentulose; free portion of phyllode usually 1–4 cm long, acute to shortly acuminate, with main nerve evident; gland not prominent. Inflorescences rudimentary, 1-headed racemes with axes to 0.5 mm long; peduncles 3–18 mm long, glabrous, often patent or descending in fruit; heads globular, 5–6 mm diam., 30–80-flowered, golden. Flowers 5-merous; sepals free; petals nerveless. Pods somewhat irregularly coiled and twisted, subterete to compressed, to 2 cm long, 2–3 mm wide, thinly crustaceous, black, glabrous. Seeds longitudinal, oblong, 2.5–3.5 mm long; aril terminal, conical.
Occurs from near Narrogin S to near Manypeaks (c. 35 km due NE of Albany) and E to Israelite Bay (c. 180 km due E of Ravensthorpe), southern W.A. Grows in clay and gravelly soils in woodland, tall shrubland and Mallee communities.
Most specimens from the western extremity of the range have slightly smaller than normal phyllodes, i.e. 1.5–3 cm long, 3–6 mm wide, the free portion 5–15 mm long and normally acute but sometimes rounded as in A. bifaria , e.g. 9.7 km SE of Broomehill, K.Newbey 3586 (CANB, K, MEL, NY, PERTH).
A seemingly rare variant with very undulate phyllodes occurs N of Bremer Bay (Bremer Bay is c. 65 km SE of Jerramungup), e.g. road between Bremer Bay Rd and Gairdner R., S.Paust 653 (PERTH).
Closely related to A. bifaria and vegetatively resembling A. pterocaulon . Inflorescence and carpological characters indicate relationships with A. excentrica and the A. merrallii group even though these species do not have bifariously winged branches.
Type of accepted name
Swan R., W.A., J.Drummond 5: 1 ; lecto: Kâsheet stamped ‘Herbarium Benthamianum 1854’, fide B.R.Maslin, Nuytsia 10: 162 (1995); isolecto: BM, CGE, K; on clayey flats near the Gardner and Salt R., W.A., G.Maxwell ; ?paralecto: BM.
Synonymy
? Acacia sinuata hort. ex Jacques, J. Soc. Imp. Centr. Hort. 6: 672 (1860), non (Lour.) Merrill (1935). Type: cultivated in May 1860 in Paris by Mr Rougier-Chauviere; n.v.
[ Acacia bossiaeoides auct. non A.Cunn. ex Benth.: B.Seemann, Eur. Acac . 7, t. 1 (1852)].
Illustrations
B.Seemann, loc. cit .; R.Erickson et al. , Fl. & Pl. W. Australia 2nd edn, 94 (1979); M.Simmons, Acacias Australia 17 (1981).
Representative collections
W.A.: Swan R., J.Drummond no. 1 (BM, CGE, G, FI, OXF, P, TCD); between Hamersley R. and East Mt Barren, B.R.Maslin 810 (MEL, PERTH); 17 km W of Israelite Bay Telegraph Stn towards Mt Ragged, R.A.Saffrey 1356 (CANB, K, PERTH); c. 5 km NE of Ravensthorpe towards Esperance, M.D.Tindale 3805 (BRI n.v ., CANB n.v ., K n.v ., L n.v ., MEL n.v ., NSW, PERTH, US n.v .).
(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.
