Acacia restiacea Benth., London J. Bot . 1: 323 (1842)
Multistemmed, sometimes straggly, mostly glabrous shrub 0.5–1.5 m high; stems rush-like, terete, finely striate, green, sometimes glaucous. Bipinnate foliage sometimes present at base of stems. Stipules conspicuous on new growth. Phyllodes rarely present, distant, resembling stems, pentagonal-terete in section, 7–25 mm long, c. 0.7 mm wide, acuminate, 5-nerved; adaxial margin 2-nerved and broad; gland at distal end of pulvinus. Inflorescences 4–12-headed racemes; raceme axes 1–6 cm long, slender, flexuose, enclosed when young by conspicuous imbricate bracts; peduncles 4–11 mm long, slender; heads globular, 25–35-flowered, golden. Flowers mostly 5-merous; calyx c. 1/6 length of corolla, with sepals shortly and irregularly united. Pods moniliform, to 8.5 cm long, 3–3.5 mm wide, thinly coriaceous, dark brown to blackish. Seeds longitudinal, ovate-elliptic, 3–4 mm long, turgid, slightly shiny, black; aril conspicuous.
Occurs from N of the Murchison R. S to Chidlow and near Merredin, also at Hospital Rocks (c. 90 km W of Menzies) and an early collection from Mt William in the Darling Ra., W.A. Grows in a variety of habitats but commonly in gravelly or rocky loam in woodland or heath, or sandy clay associated with granite outcrops. 252.
Superficially resembling A. cerastes which has tortuous branches with the phyllodes reduced to minute, continuous, horn-like projections, as well as very much reduced racemes. Also sometimes superficially resembling A. flagelliformis .
Type of accepted name
Swan R., W.A., L.Preiss 323 ; holo: K [this collection given in Pl. Preiss . 1: 3 (1844) as herb. Preiss. no. 971 from Mt Bakewell, York district, fide D.McGillivray, Telopea 1: 10 (1975)]; iso: G, LD, NY, P, TCD, W.
Synonymy
Chithonanthus restiaceus (Benth.) Lehm., Pl. Preiss . 2: 368 (1848); J.G.C.Lehmann (as ‘restioides’), Del. Sem. Hort. Hamburg 1842: 4 (1842), nom. nud . Type: as for accepted name.
Acacia restiacea var. scoparia Meisn., in J.G.C.Lehmann, Pl. Preiss . 1: 3 (1844); Chithonanthus scoparius Lehm., Del. Sem. Hort. Hamburg 1842: 4 (1842), nom. nud. Type: Mt Currie [an unknown locality, probably on the property once owned by M.Currie], York district, W.A., 10 Apr. 1840, L.Preiss 972 ; lecto: NY, fide B.R.Maslin & R.S.Cowan, Nuytsia 9: 411 (1994); isolecto: G, LD, MEL, P.
Illustrations
W.R.Elliot & D.L.Jones, Encycl. Austral. Pl. 2: 105 (1982); M.Simmons, Acacias Australia 2: 151 (1988).
Representative collections
W.A.: Kalbarri, R.S.Cowan A809 & R.A.Cowan (CANB, NY, PERTH, US); Hospital Rock, Walling Rock Stn, R.J.Cranfield 7461 (CANB, PERTH); Swan R., J.Drummond (2:) 143 (BM, CGE, LD, OXF, P, PERTH, W); Mt William, J.Gilbert 107 (PERTH); 24 km N of Wannamal towards Moora, B.R.Maslin 3239 (AD, ADW, BRI, CANB, E, L, PERTH).
(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.
