Acacia polybotrya Benth., London J. Bot . 1: 384 (1842)
Western Silver Wattle
Many-stemmed, flat-topped shrub 0.5–5 m high. Bark smooth, greenish grey. Branchlets terete, glabrous or with spreading hairs to 0.2 mm long. Young foliage-tips whitish or cream-coloured. Leaves subcoriaceous, blue-green; petiole above pulvinus 0.3–1 (–1.5) cm long, terete, finely ridged, glabrous or hairy, with a raised, orbicular gland at base of or near lowest pair of pinnae; rachis 0.5–3 cm long, terete, mostly with a small orbicular gland at base of uppermost pinnae, interjugary glands absent; pinnae (1–) 2–4 pairs, 1–4.5 cm long; pinnules 4–12 pairs, cultrate to oblong, sometimes lanceolate or obovate, (3–) 4–10 (–13) mm long, 1.5–3 (–4) mm wide, with a prominent percurrent vein and 2 shorter veins not reaching margin, glabrous or with long, spreading, white hairs, the apex obtuse, markedly mucronulate. Inflorescences in axillary racemes or terminal false-panicles; axes often zig-zagged. Heads 20–35-flowered, golden. Pods moniliform, often twisted, 4–11 cm long, 3.5–8 (–10) mm wide, subcoriaceous, purplish- to blackish-brown, with long spreading hairs to glabrous; margins often alternately incurved.
Extends from southern Darling Downs district, south-eastern Qld, S to the North and Central Western Slopes and North Western Plains of N.S.W., S to Munghorn. Grows in open forest or shrubland, in infertile sandy, rocky or gravelly clay soils. Flowers July- Oct.; fruits Nov. and Dec.
Closely allied to Acacia chinchillensis ; also allied to A. glaucocarpa .
Type of accepted name
Gwydir River, Fraser ; holo: K (photo NSW) (as Gwydir River, Cunningham ; holo: K, fide L.Pedley, Austrobaileya 1: 297, 1979).
Synonymy
Racosperma polybotryum (Benth.) Pedley, Austrobaileya 2: 354 (1987). Type: as for accepted name.
Acacia polybotrya var. polybotrya Benth., Fl. Austral . 2: 414 (1864), autonym.
Acacia polybotrya var. typica Domin, Biblioth. Bot . 89: 271 (1926), nom. inval .
Illustrations
F.Mueller, Iconogr. Austral. Acacia dec. 12 [pl. 6] (1888); M.H.Simmons, Acacias Australia 2: 299 (1988): D.A.Morrison & S.J.Davies, in G.J.Harden (ed.), Fl. New South Wales 2: 358 (1991); T.Tame, Acacias SE Australia 177, fig. 202 (1992).
Representative collections
Qld: 10.3 km N of Karara, R.G.Coveny 7246 & P.Hind (BRI, CANB, K, NSW); 5.5 km SW of Gore, M.D.Tindale 668 & D.Boyland (BRI, K, NSW, US). N.S.W.: ‘Wolaroi’, Castlereagh R., R.G.Coveny 10417 & D.Benson (CANB, CHR, K, MEL, NSW), a glabrous form; 8 km NE of Coonabarabran, L.A.S.Johnson & B.G.Briggs 3041 (NSW); Black Munghorn, Wollar- Merriwa road, M.D.Tindale s.n. & C.K.Ingram (NSW60514).
(MDT & PGK)
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.
