Acacia phlebocarpa F.Muell., J. Proc. Linn. Soc., Bot . 3: 119 (1859)
Table-top Wattle
Flat-topped shrub 0.4–2 m tall. Branchlets terete, resinous-viscid, glabrous or lines of appressed hairs embedded in resin. Stipules persistent, 1–1.5 mm long. Phyllodes wide-spreading, narrowly elliptic to oblong-elliptic, straight, 2–5.5 cm long, mostly 4–12 mm wide, acute to rounded-obtuse, abruptly semi-pungent mucronate, thin-coriaceous, glabrous, resinous-viscid, with 3, distant, raised, main nerves and numerous, closely parallel, secondary nerves occasionally anastomosing. Inflorescences simple, 1 per axil; peduncles 10–24 mm long, puberulous to glabrous, resinous; heads globular, 7–8 mm diam., mostly 45–60-flowered, golden. Flowers 5-merous; sepals 1/3–2/3-united; petals finely striate. Pods linear, raised over seeds, strongly curved to once-coiled, to 6 cm long, 4–6 mm wide, coriaceous, obliquely reticulate-veined, glabrous, resinous. Seeds transverse, broadly elliptic to nearly circular, 3.8–4.3 mm long, glossy black; pleurogram closed; funicle-aril fleshy, in two large loops over apex of seed.
Occurs principally in NW Qld, especially in Mount Isa area, and adjacent N.T. but with outlying populations in northern W.A. on and near Tableland Stn. Grows on shallow stony and sandy soils or deep lateritic soil in low open woodland or with Triodia spp.
Similar but probably not closely related to A. monticola which has ‘Minni Ritchi’ bark and mostly smaller, elliptic to obovate, apiculate, puberulous phyllodes with many secondary nerves in a regular reticulum.
Type of accepted name
Head of Seven Emu R., Gulf of Carpentaria, [Qld], 1856, F.Mueller 41 ; holo: MEL; iso: K.
Synonymy
Racosperma phlebocarpum (F.Muell.) Pedley, Austrobaileya 2: 353 (1987). Type: as for accepted name.
[ Acacia ixiophylla auct. non Benth.: K.Domin, Biblioth. Bot . 89: 262 (1926)]
Illustrations
F.Mueller, Iconogr. Austral. Acacia dec. 7, [pl. 5] (1887); M.Simmons, Acacias Australia 195 (1981).
Representative collections
W.A.: 8 km W of Tableland Stn, Kimberley, M.Lazarides 5126 (CANB, PERTH). N.T.: c.10 km NNW of Bauhinia Downs Stn, G.Leach 594 (DNA, PERTH); 1.5 km W of Tin Hole Ck Crossing, J.Maconochie 2021 (BRI, CANB, DNA, NSW, PERTH). Qld: 53 km E of Mount Isa, J.R.Maconochie 1649 (DNA, 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.
