Acacia oncinophylla Lindl., Sketch Veg. Swan R. xv (1839)
Hook-leaved Acacia
Shrub 1- 2.5 m high. Bark ‘Minni-Ritchi’. Branchlets flattened and angular at apex, glabrous or sparsely hairy on ribs, sometimes pruinose. Phyllodes linear or linear-oblanceolate, straight to curved, 4- 13 cm long, 1- 6 mm wide, abruptly contracted or tapered to curved, acute to acuminate apex, flexible or semi-rigid, sometimes pruinose, glabrous or with few appressed hairs on nerves, with 3- 7 distant, raised nerves on each face. Inflorescences simple, 2 per axil; peduncles 3- 8 mm long, sericeous; basal bract persistent; receptacle with dense, spreading golden or silvery hairs; spikes 11- 25 mm long, 5- 6 mm diam., 50- 97-flowered, golden. Flowers 5-merous; sepals 2/3- 3/4-united. Pods linear, straight to slightly curved, to 6 cm long, 5- 6 mm wide, silvery or golden velvety. Seeds (of subsp. patulifolia ) oblique, broadly elliptic, 3- 3.5 mm long, glossy, black; aril apical.
Scattered along the Darling Ra. from Mogumber (c. 100 km N of Perth) S to Wagerup (c. 110 km S of Perth), south-western W.A.
Closely related to A. fauntleroyi which, besides occurring farther inland, is distinguished most readily by its obviously hairy branchlets and phyllodes and often longer peduncles.
There are two subspecies.
Phyllodes mostly 8- 13 cm long, 1- 2 mm wide, thinly coriaceous, tapering into acute to acuminate tip; branchlets not pruinose; spikes 11- 13 mm long
subsp. oncinophylla
Phyllodes 4- 9 cm long, 3- 6 mm wide, semi-rigid, abruptly rounded-obtuse and apiculate to mucronate; branchlets often lightly pruinose; spikes 15- 25 mm long
subsp. patulifolia
Acacia oncinophylla Lindl. subsp. oncinophylla
Branchlets not pruinose. Phyllodes linear, mostly 8- 13 cm long and 1- 2 mm wide with l:w = 40- 65, tapering into curved, acute to acuminate apex, thinly coriaceous, not pruinose. Peduncles 3- 5 mm long; basal bract appressed-puberulous; spikes 11- 13 mm long, 5- 6 mm diam., 50- 60-flowered.
Restricted to the Darling Ra. where it is scattered from Mogumber S to Serpentine (c. 50 km S of Perth). Grows in granitic soil, in heath and open woodland.
Type of accepted name
Swan R., W.A., J.Drummond s.n. ; holo: CGE; iso: K, PERTH.
Illustration
W.J.Hooker, Bot. Mag. 74: pl. 4353 (1848).
Representative collections
W.A.: c. 34 km from Perth towards Toodyay, E.M.Canning WA/68 2795 (PERTH); Serpentine, B.R.Maslin 4177 (PERTH); Wannamal, mid Nov. 1984, A.Popplewell (PERTH); Darling Ra., E.Pritzel 714 (K, M, NSW, P, Z); Helena Valley, J.Seabrook 275 (CANB, PERTH).
Acacia oncinophylla subsp. patulifolia R.S.Cowan & Maslin, Nuytsia 10: 53 (1995)
Branchlets often pruinose. Phyllodes linear-oblanceolate, 4- 9 cm long, 3- 6 mm wide, l:w = 10- 27, abruptly contracted to rounded tip, apiculate to mucronate, semi-rigid. Peduncles 4- 8 mm long; basal bract glabrous or sparsely appressed-puberulous; spikes 15- 25 mm long, 75- 97-flowered.
Restricted to the Darling scarp near Perth, and from near Pinjarra S to Wagerup. Grows mostly in granitic soil in open woodland.
Type of accepted name
Barrington Quarry, Darling Ra. near Perth, W.A., 10 Sept. 1972, B.R.Maslin 2827 ; holo: PERTH; iso: AD, BRI, CANB, G, K, MEL, MO, NSW, NY, W, Z.
Representative collections
W.A.: end of Rushton Rd, Martin, Gosnells, R.S.Cowan A860 & R.A.Cowan (AD, BM, BRI, CANB, G, K, MEL, MO, NSW, P, US); Gosnells, R.J.Cranfield 518 (NSW, PERTH, TLF); Wagerup, E. & S.Pignatti 483 (PERTH).
(RSC & 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.
