Acacia semiaurea Maiden & Blakely, J. Roy. Soc. W. Australia 13: 17; pl. 6, figs 14–19 (1928)
Salient features of the syntypes are as follows. New shoots with dense, appressed, white to cream hairs. Phyllodes oblanceolate, 4.5–6 cm long, 13–16 mm wide, thinly coriaceous, 1-nerved per face, with indumentum of sparse, appressed, white hairs; gland not prominent, 6–18 mm above pulvinus. Inflorescences 4–7-headed racemes; raceme axes 1.5–3 cm long, often growing out; heads globular.
The very few specimens seen which appear to match the types are of cultivated, or presumed cultivated, origin. Some of these possess pods which show the seeds to be half-encircled by dark reddish funicles. It is suggested that A. semiaurea may be a hybrid involving perhaps A. retinodes as one parent and A. argyrophylla or A. brachybotrya (appressed-hair variant) as the other.
Other specimens examined: Bot. Garden Adelaide, anonymous 23 (MEL615111); Grass plt. on Schmitz [?] property opposite Monkey House, anonymous 15 (MEL103740); without details except ‘No. 19. Plant’ (MEL103741).
Type of accepted name
Cultivated at Kew Gardens, London, 27 May 1879 (sphalm ‘28’ in protologue); syn: NSW, K, PERTH (Fragment ex NSW).
Illustration
J.H.Maiden & W.F.Blakely, loc. cit .
(BRM)
In Fl. Australia A. semiaurea is included under Doubtful Names.
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.
