Acacia intricata S.Moore, J. Linn. Soc., Bot . 45: 172 (1920)
Compact, intricate, glabrous shrub normally 0.15– 0.5 m high, sometimes forming prostrate mounds. Ultimate branchlets ascending to erect, short, straight, rigid, somewhat spinose, yellow-ribbed, interstices green, sometimes pruinose. Stipules caducous. Phyllodes sessile, patent, usually ovate to widely ovate, usually 2–4 mm long, 1–3 mm wide, pungent, rigid, thick, green to glaucous, prominently 1-nerved per face; adaxial margin thickened and 2-nerved, the adaxial marginal nerves sometimes coalescing. Inflorescences rudimentary binate racemes with axes <0.5 mm long; peduncles 1.5–3 mm long, recurved in fruit; basal bract caducous, cucullate; heads showy, globular, 7–13-flowered, bright golden; bracteoles absent or resembling sepals. Flowers 5-merous; calyx absent or reduced to a single linear sepal. Pods curved to openly once-coiled, to 25 mm long, c. 2.5 mm wide. Seeds longitudinal, 2.7–2.9 mm long, commonly mottled; aril 1/2 or more length of seed, white.
Occurs from Bencubbin and Jaurdi Stn S to Lake Grace and Lake King, south-western W.A. Occurs in loam, clay and gravelly sand, in woodland and Mallee shrubland.
Phyllodes on specimens from Southern Cross- Marvel Loch are ovate to lanceolate, narrowly oblong, or sometimes linear, and are generally longer than elsewhere (mostly 4–10 mm, occasionally 20 mm); these plants may resemble A. acutata . Elsewhere the phyllodes are 2–4 mm long and mostly ovate to widely ovate but range to circular, oblong or lanceolate.
Acacia erinacea has similarly small phyllodes, spinose branchlets and is sometimes prostrate, but it has innocuous phyllodes which lack a thickened adaxial margin, longer peduncles and straight pods with oblique seeds.
Type of accepted name
Mt Marshall, W.A., F.Stoward 756 ; holo: BM.
Illustrations
M.Simmons, Acacias Australia 2: 51 & pl. 18 (1988).
Representative collections
W.A.: 19 km due S of Southern Cross, B.R.Maslin 6014 (K, PERTH); 5 km E of Tarin Rock, K.Newbey 2826 (BM, CANB, K, MEL, NSW, PERTH); 11 km SSE of Jaurdi HS, c. 63 km E of Koolyanobbing, K.Newbey 8857 (PERTH).
(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.
