Acacia subracemosa Maslin, Nuytsia 1: 446; 447, fig. 19 & 489, map 8 (1975)
Western Karri Wattle
Shrub 2– 5 m high. Branchlets puberulous, the hairs normally tubercule-based. Pinnae 3– 6 pairs, 2– 6 mm long (proximal pinnae) otherwise 15– 50 mm long; petiole c. 1 mm long; rachis 15– 55 mm long; pinnules 2 or 3 pairs (proximal pinnae) otherwise 7– 13 pairs, oblong, sessile and obliquely truncate at base, 3– 6 mm long, 1.5- 3 mm wide, slightly recurved, green, scabridulous; gland on rachis between the two lowermost pairs of pinnae, subsessile, crateriform. Inflorescences rudimentary 2– 4 headed racemes with axes <1 mm long, normally 1 per axil; peduncles 7– 17 mm long, puberulous; heads globular, 15– 20-flowered, creamy white to very pale yellow. Flowers 5-merous; sepals 3/4– 5/6-united. Pods to 4 cm long, 4– 6 mm wide, coriaceous-crustaceous, shortly pilose. Seeds transverse to oblique, few longitudinal, oblong to elliptic, 2– 2.5 mm long.
Restricted to between Witchcliffe and Augusta, south-western W.A., most common W of Karridale. Grows in sand over limestone in Karri ( Eucalyptus diversicolor ) forest.
Acacia subracemosa is a member of the ‘ A. browniana group’ and is most closely allied to A. pentadenia from which it is readily distinguished by its hairy vegetative parts and peduncles and its solitary foliar gland. Both species grow in Karri forest but their distributions do not overlap.
Type of accepted name
3 km W of Karridale towards Hamelin Bay, W.A., 19 Sept. 1972, B.R.Maslin 2877 ; holo: PERTH; iso: BRI, CANB, K, MEL, NSW, NY, PERTH.
Illustrations
B.R.Maslin, loc. cit .
Representative collections
W.A.: Cape Leeuwin, Oct. 1905, C.Andrews (PERTH); Mammoth Cave, c. 7 km due SW of Witchcliffe, B.R.Maslin 3210 (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.
