Acacia pruinosa A.Cunn. ex Benth., London J. Bot . 1: 383 (1842)
Pruinose shrub or tree to 6 m high. Bark smooth, dark red or purplish. Branchlets inconspicuously ridged, reddish or blue-black, glossy, pruinose, glabrous. Young foliage-tips greyish green. Leaves subcoriaceous, glaucous; petiole above pulvinus mostly 1.8–6 cm long, glabrous, usually with a prominent elongated gland at base of or to way below lowest pair of pinnae; rachis 1.5–10 cm long, glabrous, with a gland at base of all or some pairs of pinnae, interjugary glands absent; pinnae (1–) 2–4 (–5) pairs, widely spaced, 3–9 cm long; pinnules 7–20 pairs, narrowly oblong, 8–18 mm long, 2.5–5 (–6) mm wide, glabrous, the main vein percurrent with two shorter secondary veins from base not reaching the margin, apex obtuse. Inflorescences in axillary racemes or false-panicles or terminal false-panicles. Heads 5–10 mm diam., 40–60-flowered, golden; calyx-lobes spathulate. Pods straight-sided to slightly constricted between seeds, 4–14 cm long, 6–12 mm wide, coriaceous, blue-black, pruinose, smooth, glabrous.
Extends from Miles, south-eastern Qld to the tablelands, slopes and adjacent plains of northern N.S.W., as far W as Emmaville and S to Cuttabri. Grows in open woodland or shrub-woodland, often on rocky hillsides, in sandy soils, mostly on granite or laterite. Flowers Aug.–Oct. Fruits Nov.–Jan.
This species has been confused with A. debilis in the past, but the heads are larger with more flowers, the branchlets are more shiny and it is usually a smaller plant. See also A. glaucocarpa .
Type of accepted name
N of Liverpool Plains, N.S.W., July 1827, A.Cunningham 65 ; holo: K (photo NSW).
Synonymy
Racosperma pruinosum (A.Cunn. ex Benth.) Pedley, Austrobaileya 2: 354 (1987). Type: as for accepted name.
Acacia spectabilis var. stuartii Benth., Fl. Austral . 2: 413 (1864). Type: New England, N.S.W., C.Stuart ; syn: NSW; between Byron Plains and the McIntyre, [N.S.W.], L.Leichhardt ; syn: K.
Illustrations
D.A.Morrison & S.J.Davies, in G.J.Harden (ed.), Fl. New South Wales 2: 384 (1991); T.Tame, Acacias SE Australia 174, fig. 197; pl. 197 (1992).
Representative collections
Qld: 4.8 km NNE of Ballandean, R.G.Coveny 2101 (A, BRI, CHR, K, L, US,); 3.2 km SE of Glen Aplin, C.H.Gittins 2825 (NSW); 16 km WSW of Stanthorpe, L.Pedley 4142 (A, BRI, CANB, MEL, NSW). N.S.W.: 25 km NNW of Emmaville, A.R.Bean 2784 (BRI, NSW); 39.2 km on Barraba–Bundarra road, M.H.Simmons 1450 & J.G.Simmons (NSW).
(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.
