Acacia harpophylla F.Muell. ex Benth., Fl. Austral. 2: 389 (1864)
Brigalow , Brigalow Spearwood , Orkor
Tree to 25 m high, root-suckering. Bark hard, furrowed, almost black. Branchlets angular at extremities, appressed-puberulous or glabrous. Phyllodes falcate, 10–20 cm long and 7–20 mm wide, coriaceous, sericeous, with numerous closely parallel nerves of which 3–7 are more prominent than the rest. Inflorescences condensed, 2–8-headed racemes, often appearing as axillary clusters; raceme axes 2–10 mm long, appressed-puberulous; peduncles 10–20 (–30) mm long, appressed-puberulous; heads globular, 5–8 mm diam., 15–35-flowered, golden. Flowers 4- or sometimes 5-merous; sepals to half-united. Pods subterete, slightly raised over and constricted between seeds, straight to slightly curved, to 20 cm long, 5–10 mm wide, crustaceous, longitudinally nerved, glabrous. Seeds longitudinal, oblong or broadly elliptic, flat but thick, 10–18 mm long, soft, dull, brown; pleurogram not evident; funicle filiform, exarillate.
Common in central and coastal Qld S of Richmond and Mackay, extending across the western plains and slopes of northern N.S.W. to Roto and near Willow Tree. Forms extensive open-forest communities usually on fertile clay and loamy clay.
While the species has been characterised regularly as pentamerous, there is a high proportion of tetramerous flowers in all the material seen. In general, the flowers are 4-merous but with a few 5-merous ones intermixed in the heads; occasionally a head with mostly pentamerous flowers can be observed. Tetramery in A. harpophylla appears not firmly entrenched but in A. argyrodendron , a species of similar general appearance, tetramery is well established.
Most closely related to A. cambagei according to L.Pedley, Austrobaileya 1: 190 (1978).
Because of its suckering habit Acacia harpophylla is generally considered an undesirable species, especially as Brigalow lands are highly productive when cleared.
Type of accepted name
Rockhampton, [Qld], A.Thozet ; holo: K; iso: MEL.
Synonymy
Racosperma harpophyllum (F.Muell. ex Benth.) Pedley, Austrobaileya 2: 349 (1987). Type: as for accepted name.
Illustrations
F. von Mueller, Iconogr. Austral. Acacia dec. 6 [pl. 9] (1887); J.H.Maiden, Forest Fl. New South Wales 4: pl. 129 (1909); G.M.Cunningham et al. , Pl. W New South Wales 362 (1981); B.R.Maslin, in J.P.Jessop (ed.), Fl. Central Australia 123, fig. 160J (1981) J.W.Turnbull (ed.), Multipurpose Austral. Trees & Shrubs 141 (1986); E.Anderson, Pl. Central Queensland 28 (1993).
Representative collections
Qld: Condamine, L.Pedley 2403 (PERTH); 24 km SSE of Toompine, L.Pedley 2456 (PERTH). N.S.W.: 38.1 km S of Boggabilla towards Moree, R.Cumming 2844 (PERTH).
(RSC)
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.
