Acacia stenophylla A.Cunn. ex Benth., London J. Bot . 1: 366 (1842)
Munumula , Balkura , Gurley , Gooralee , Ironwood , Dalby Wattle , River Cooba , River Myall , Belalei , Eumong , Native Willow , Black Wattle , Dunthy
Somewhat bushy tree 4–20 m high, with a tendency to sucker. Bark rough, dark grey to blackish. Branchlets normally pendulous, glabrous to sericeous. Phyllodes ligulate, pendulous, 15–40 cm long, 2–7 mm wide, innocuous with an acute to acuminate, often curved apex, coriaceous, rather lax, glabrous or sparsely appressed-puberulous, with numerous subdistant nerves. Inflorescences (1- ) 2–6-headed racemes; raceme axes (1- ) 3–5 (- 15) mm long, appressed-puberulous, rarely glabrous; peduncles 6–13 mm long, with indumentum as on raceme axes; heads globular, 6–9 mm diam., (20- ) 25–40-flowered, creamy white to pale yellow. Flowers 5-merous; sepals 3/4-united. Pods moniliform, breaking readily at constrictions, 10–26 cm long, (6- ) 8–12 mm wide, woody, obscurely longitudinally wrinkled, glabrous. Seeds longitudinal, broadly elliptic to oblong-elliptic, 7–9 mm long, dark brown; funicle scarcely arillate.
Very widely distributed in inland arid areas from north-eastern W.A., E through N.T. to Qld (W of the Great Divide) and S to the Murray- Lachlan- Darling R. system in N.S.W., Vic. and S.A., disjunct in S.A. between L. Eyre and the Murray R. Usually grows in heavy soils along watercourses subject to periodic flooding where it frequently forms monospecific stands.
The long phyllodes and growth habit resemble A. coriacea .
Type of accepted name
New Holland [Lachlan R., N.S.W., June 1817], A.Cunningham s.n. ; holo: K, right-hand specimen on sheet, fide R.S.Cowan & B.R.Maslin, Nuytsia 9: 88 (1993); iso: K.
Synonymy
Racosperma stenophyllum (A.Cunn. ex Benth.) Pedley, Austrobaileya 2: 355 (1987). Type: as for accepted name.
Acacia stenophylla var. linearis Maiden, Forest Fl. New South Wales 7: 150, pl. 242K (1920). Type: ‘River Cooba’, Euabalong, Lachlan R., N.S.W., R.H.Cambage ; syn: n.v. ; Newcastle Waters, N.T., 1902, W.Baldwin Spencer ; syn: n.v. ; ‘Balkura’ (native name), Lake Eyre, S.A., Sept. 1903, W.Baldwin Spencer ; syn: n.v.
Illustrations
F. von Mueller, Iconogr. Austral. Acacia dec. 6 [pl. 5] (1887); J.H.Maiden, Forest Fl. New South Wales 7: pl. 242A–K (1920); G.M.Cunningham et al. , Pl. W New South Wales 373 (1981); B.R.Maslin, in J.P.Jessop (ed.), Fl. Central Australia 123, fig. 160I (1981); L.F.Costermans, Native Trees & Shrubs SE Australia 328 (1981); M.Simmons, Acacias Australia 2: 207 (1988); T.Tame, Acacias SE Australia 89, fig. 78, pl. 78 (1992); D.J.E.Whibley & D.E.Symon, Acacias S. Australia 2nd edn, 243 (1992).
Representative collections
W.A.: Sturt Ck at Billiluna HS, J.H.Willis s.n. (MEL, PERTH00671967). N.T.: Stuart Hwy at Newcastle Ck, T.S.Henshall 2502 (BRI, NSW, NT, PERTH). S.A.: Murray R., between Renmark and Chowilla Stn, 2 Sept 1982, B.R.Maslin s.n. (PERTH). Qld.: 25 km NW of Headingly Stn, R.A.Perry 864 (CANB, NSW, PERTH). N.S.W.: E. bank of Gol Gol Ck, 0.5 km E. of Gol Gol, L.Thomson LXT 197 (PERTH). Vic.: Wallpolla Is., 0.5 km W of Finnegan’s Bridge, G.R.Lucas 367 (MEL).
(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.
