Acacia latescens Benth., London J. Bot. 1: 380 (1842)
Ball Wattle
Shrub or tree 3–10 m high. Bark rough, brown or dark grey. Branchlets glabrous. Phyllodes narrowly elliptic to narrowly oblong-elliptic or linear, sometimes tending oblanceolate, commonly falcately recurved, 8–26 cm long, 0.5–2 cm wide, narrowed at base, obtuse, glabrous, with 2 distant main longitudinal nerves and openly reticulate between them; glands 3 or 4, one basal, secondary ones often projecting slightly from margin; pulvinus 2–4 mm long. Inflorescences 4–11-headed racemes; raceme axes 10–30 mm long, glabrous; peduncles 6–17 mm long, glabrous; heads globular, 4–6 mm diam., 30–55-flowered, cream to pale yellow; bracteoles peltate. Flowers 5-merous; sepals 2/3–3/4-united; petals glabrous. Pods mostly narrowly oblong and flat, to 15 cm long, 12–15 mm wide, coriaceous, finely and openly reticulate, glabrous. Seeds longitudinal to oblique, oblong, 8–10 mm long, dull, black; aril apical, small.
Occurs in northern N.T., extending S to Cox R. Grows in sandy and lateritic soil in open forest, woodland and shrubland, rarely in coastal dune scrub.
As is the case with several other of the northern, tropical species, the filaments of A. latescens are joined irregularly to a level of about the base of the lobes of the corolla.
Most nearly related to A. mimula and A. kenneallyi .
Type of accepted name
May Day Is., Van Dieman Gulf [N.T]., May 1818, A.Cunningham 295 ; lecto: K, fide L.Pedley, Contr. Queensland Herb. 15: 2 (1974); isolecto: K, PERTH (Fragment ex K); ?isolecto: A, NSW, NY.
Synonymy
Racosperma latescens (Benth.) Pedley, Austrobaileya 2: 571 (1988). Type: as for accepted name.
Acacia dineura F.Muell., J. Proc. Linn. Soc., Bot. 3: 130 (1859). Type: upper Roper R., N.T., F.Mueller 31 ; holo: MEL, fide R.S.Cowan & B.R.Maslin, Nuytsia 10: 80 (1995); iso: K, PERTH (Fragment ex MEL).
Acacia dissoneura F.Muell., S. Sci. Rec. 2 (7): 151 (1882). Type: vicinity of Port Darwin, [N.T.], F.Schultz 336 ; syn: MEL, K, PERTH (Fragment ex MEL); near Liverpool R., [N.T.], B.Gulliver ; syn: MEL, NSW, PERTH00975540 (Fragment ex MEL).
Illustrations
F. von Mueller, Iconogr. Austral. Acacia dec. 8 [pl. 10] (1887), as A. dineura , fide J.H.Maiden, Proc. Roy. Soc. Queensland 30: 22 (1918); J.Brock, Top End Native Pl. 64 (1988).
Representative collections
N.T.: East Alligator R., M.Lazarides 7651 (NSW, PERTH); c. 5 km N of Nathan R. Stn, G.J.Leach 604 (PERTH); Cobourg Penin., D.Sivertsen 811 (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.
