Acacia paula Tindale & S.Davies, Austral. Syst. Bot . 3: 287; 289, fig. 1 & 290, fig. 2 (1990)
Prostrate or semiprostrate subshrub, with numerous small branches arising from subterranean rootstock. Branchlets angular, virgate, green and lenticellate between brown, usually resin-crenulated ridges, glabrous or sparsely pubescent. Phyllodes linear, straight, 4–15 cm long, 0.8–3 mm wide, flat, slightly resinous, 1 or 2 excentric, more prominent longitudinal veins, the parallel minor veins not regularly conspicuous; basal gland inconspicuous. Spikes 4–12 mm long, densely flowered, shortly cylindrical to globular heads, yellow. Flowers 5-merous; calyx 0.8–1.3 mm long, dissected to 1/4–1/3, the sepals thick, with distinct midrib, fimbriolate and sparsely pilose; corolla 1.7–2 mm long, dissected to 1/2, with prominent midrib, glabrous, viscid; ovary glabrous or with tomentum near apex. Pods linear, almost flat, straight, slightly curved at apex, 4–5.5 cm long, 3.5–4.5 mm wide, tapered at base and apex, light brown. Seeds oblique, elliptic, dorsoventrally flattened, c. 4.2 mm long, very dark brown; pleurogram surrounded by slightly paler halo; funicle scarcely folded, pale.
Occurs on the Mitchell Plateau in north-western W.A., between 1449’S and 1505’S, and between 12541’E and 12551’E. Found on laterite, sometimes over basalt, in low open forest with Corymbia confertiflora . Flowers Feb., Mar. & June; fruits June.
Few specimens of this taxa have been examined, making further field work necessary.
Type of accepted name
c. 12 km W of Mitchell River HS, S of the Mitchell R., W.A., 10 June 1985, P.A.Fryxell , L.A.Craven & J.McD.Stewart 4741 ; holo: CANB; iso: NSW, PERTH.
Illustrations
M.D.Tindale & S.J.Davies, loc. cit.
Representative collections
W.A.: c. 1 km E of old Amax Camp, Mitchell Plateau, C.R.Dunlop 6919 & M.Gallen (BRI, DNA, MEL, NSW, PERTH); 0.5 km NE of Amax Basecamp, Mitchell Plateau, K.F.Kenneally 7106 (NSW, PERTH).
(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.
