Acacia jucunda Maiden & Blakely, Proc. Roy. Soc. Queensland 38: 119; pl. 18, figs 11–16 (1927)
Shrub or tree 2–8 m high. Branchlets pruinose, microscopically hirtellous with hairs usually c. 0.05 mm long. Phyllodes usually oblanceolate and obtuse or retuse, mostly 3–6 cm long and 8–20 mm wide, thin, grey-green to glaucous, glabrous or microscopically hirtellous on margins, midribs or rarely entire laminae, 1-nerved, finely penninerved; gland not prominent, 0–3 mm above pulvinus; pulvinus 2–5 mm long. Inflorescences usually 10–20-headed racemes; raceme axes usually 3–5 cm long, glabrous to subglabrous; peduncles 3–6 mm long, glabrous to subglabrous; heads showy, globular, subdensely 15–25-flowered, bright golden. Flowers 5-merous; sepals united. Pods alternately rounded over seeds on either side along midline, to 9 cm long, 8–10 mm wide, firmly chartaceous to thinly coriaceous, pruinose, glabrous; stipe slender. Seeds longitudinal to oblique, oblong, 4–6 mm long, slightly shiny, black, arillate.
Occurs from Mt Moffat (W of Carnarvon Natl Park) E to near Eidsvold, southern Qld, S to near Yetman in northern N.S.W. Grows in sand, loam or clay loam in open eucalypt woodland or forest, often adjacent to Brigalow forest.
The syntypes, collected from the northern extremity of the species range, differ from specimens elsewhere in having branchlet hairs 0.1–0.2 mm long and narrowly elliptic phyllodes; in addition, sometimes their phyllodes are acute and their racemes to 9 cm long with up to 30 heads. An unnumbered, undated Bancroft collection, not regarded as a type even though it was collected from Eidsvold, is queried at BRI as being a hybrid between A. jucunda and A. pustula (BRI340955 & 340956). It has narrowly elliptic, acute phyllodes and branchlet hairs 0.1–0.2 mm long. The possibility therefore exists that the type collection of A. jucunda may include hybrid elements.
Closely related to A. everistii .
An attractive, floriferous species which is cultivated to some extent.
Type of accepted name
Knockbreak Stn, near Eidsvold, Qld, Aug. 1918, T.L.Bancroft 35 ; syn: NSW, also BRI & K but specimens unnumbered; Knockbreak Stn, near Eidsvold, Qld, Sept. 1918, T.L.Bancroft s.n .; BM n.v ., fide L.Pedley, Austrobaileya 1: 278 (1980); Eidsvold [probably collected from Lochaber Stn], Mar. 1918, T.L.Bancroft 25 ; syn: NSW.
Synonymy
Racosperma jucundum (Maiden & Blakely) Pedley, Austrobaileya 2: 350 (1987). Type: as for accepted name.
Illustrations
J.H.Maiden & W.F.Blakely, loc. cit .; M.Simmons, Acacias Australia 137 & pl. 50 (1981); T.Tame, Acacias SE Australia 162, fig. 181, pl. 181 (1992).
Representative collections
Qld: Moonie, c. 56 km WSW of Tara, L.Pedley 2361 (BRI). N.S.W.: Bebo State Forest, E of Yetman, R.Coveny 11682 & P.Wilson (AD n.v ., BRI, CANB, K 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.
