Acacia latifolia Benth., London J. Bot . 1: 382 (1842)
Single-stemmed, pruinose shrub or tree to 5 m high. Bark smooth, brown. Branchlets flattened, 0.5–1 cm wide, tawny yellow or brown, pruinose, glabrous, bearing wings 0.8–2.5 mm wide, formed by decurrencies with phyllodes (lower edge of phyllode usually continuous with branchlet). Phyllodes obliquely narrowly lanceolate to ovate or elliptic, usually 6.5–13 cm long, 14–45 mm wide, with convex upper margin, thin to subcoriaceous, glabrous, with 3–5 conspicuous, longitudinal nerves (the pair closest to lower concave or straight margin confluent to 2 cm above base, the other nerves separate to the base but not reaching apex), the minor nerves anastomosing, 2 or 3 per mm; gland 1, basal, to 3 mm above pulvinus. Spikes usually 1.6–2.7 cm long, golden. Flowers 5-merous; calyx 0.2–0.5 mm long, truncate or dissected to 1/4, glabrous; corolla 1.8–2.5 mm long, glabrous, with free petals; ovary glabrous. Pods linear, straight-sided, straight or slightly falcate, flat or slightly twisted, 4–11 cm long, 2–4.5 mm wide, glabrous; margins pale, prominent. Seeds longitudinal, oblong-elliptic, 2.2–4.7 mm long, brown; areole open.
Occurs in tropical W.A., N.T. (including Sir Edward Pellow Group) and extreme north-western Qld, N of 18S. Grows often on sandstone plateaux with laterite gravel, on cliffs near the ocean, along watercourses in gullies or in crevices amongst boulders, sometimes on basalt or quartzite, in sandy, stony, often alluvial soils, in mixed shrubland. Flowers May–Oct.
This species is characterised by elongated peduncles usually 15–50 mm long, flattened-winged stems and large corollas. A variant from N.T. is characterised by very large inflorescences 4.5–7 cm long, (e.g. M.Lazarides 9151 from near mouth of Sawcut Gorge, Kakadu Natl Park, (CANB, NSW)). A variant with smaller than normal phyllodes (3–5 cm long) occurs 15 km WSW of King George R. Falls, W.A. (e.g. S.J.Forbes 2730 et al. , BRI, MEL, PERTH).
Type of accepted name
‘North Coast? Bauer’ [Carpentaria Islands, h-g, N.T., 16–25 Dec. 1802, R.Brown ‘4378’ , fide L.Pedley, Austrobaileya 1: 163 (1978)]; holo: BM; iso: K, NSW.
Synonymy
Racosperma latifolium (Benth.) Pedley, Austrobaileya 2: 350 (1987). Type: as for accepted name.
Illustration
F.Mueller, Iconogr. Austral. Acacia dec. 9 [pl. 7] (1888); J.R.Wheeler, in J.R.Wheeler (ed.) et al ., Fl. Kimberley Region 316, fig. 91F (1992).
Representative collections
W.A.: near Mt Agnes, Central Kimberley, C.A.Gardner 1435 (NSW, PERTH). N.T.: S of Katherine Gorge, M.I.H.Brooker 3151 (FRI, NSW); Bartalumba Bay, Groote Eylandt, 30 Aug. 1971, K.Hodder (DNA, NSW); top of Gunlom Falls, Kakadu Natl Park, R.Johnson 159 (DNA, NSW, PERTH). Qld: Westmoreland Stn, C.H.Gittins 832 (BRI, NSW); Hells Gate, between Doomadgee and ‘Westmoreland’, R.Pullen 9171 (CANB, NSW).
(NSW)
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.
