Acacia racospermoides Pedley, Austrobaileya 3: 216 (1990)
Spindly shrub or slender tree 2–6 m high. Bark white. Branchlets slightly angular, pruinose, glabrous. Phyllodes narrowly oblong-elliptic, slightly recurved, 6–10 (–13) cm long, 1–2 (–2.5) cm wide, obtuse, apiculate, thinly coriaceous, glabrous, with 3 main longitudinal nerves, the lowermost often confluent with lower margin at extreme base, openly reticulate between main nerves; gland to 4 mm above pulvinus. Inflorescences terminal panicles; raceme axes to 12 cm long, glabrous; peduncles 8–10 mm long; heads geminate, one maturing before the other, globular, 25–30-flowered, deep yellow. Flowers 5-merous; sepals free. Pods linear, raised over but not constricted between seeds, straight, to 10 cm long, 7–9 mm wide, thin-coriaceous, glabrous; margins narrowly winged. Seeds longitudinal, broadly elliptic, 5 mm long, dull, dark brown, exarillate.
Near coastal areas from Bathurst Bay S to near Cooktown with disjunct occurrences near Cairns and on Hinchinbrook Is., Qld. Grows in sand in heath and open forest.
Has been confused with A. homaloclada , a species readily distinguished by its non-paniculate inflorescences and arillate seeds; both species occur on Hinchinbrook Is., Qld, but are allopatric, fide L.Pedley, Austrobaileya 2: 324–325 (1987).
Type of accepted name
27 km N of ‘Wakooka’ on track to Bathurst Bay, Qld, June 1984, J.R.Clarkson 5375 ; holo: BRI n.v. , fide L.Pedley, loc. cit Austrobaileya 2: 324 (1987); iso, all n.v. : DNA, K, MEL, NSW, PERTH.
Synonymy
Acacia racospermoides is based on Racosperma paniculatum Pedley, Austrobaileya 2: 324 (1987); non Acacia paniculata Willd. (1806) nec J.F.Macbride (1919). Type: as for accepted name.
Illustration
L.Pedley, Austrobaileya 2: 326, fig. 1A & B (1987), as Racospermum paniculatum .
Representative collection
Qld: Archer Point, 16 km SSE of Cooktown, J.Moriarty 1050 (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.
