Acacia tarculensis J.M.Black, Trans. & Proc. Roy. Soc. S. Australia 36: 171; pl. 8 (1912)
Steel Bush; Granite Bush; Granite Wattle
Dense, spreading, rounded or flat-topped shrub 1- 3 m high. Branchlets appressed-puberulous at extremities. Phyllodes elliptic to oblong-elliptic, 2.5- 5.5 cm long, 7- 14 mm wide, rounded-obtuse, coriaceous, glaucous, golden or silvery appressed-puberulous when young, with numerous fine, closely parallel nerves of uniform prominence or 1- 3 sometimes slightly more prominent, the red-brown margins (mature phyllodes) resinous. Inflorescences simple, 1 or 2 per axil; peduncles 3- 8 mm long, puberulous; spikes 15- 25 mm long, interrupted at maturity, golden. Flowers 5-merous; sepals free. Pods narrowly oblong, scarcely raised over seeds, curved, to 9 cm long, 10- 12 mm wide, subwoody, velvety, sometimes glabrescent; margins thickened. Seeds slightly oblique, broadly elliptic, 7.5 mm long, dull, brown; aril terminal.
Restricted to south-central S.A. in the N part of Eyre Penin. from just W of Gawler Ra. and L. Gillies northwards to N of Tarcoola (L. Gairdner area). Grows on rocky hillsides and ridges, associated with granite, in tall open shrubland or low open woodland, especially with species of the ‘A. aneura group’.
Similar to A. quadrimarginea in venation and red margins of the phyllodes, as well as in having free or nearly free sepals; however the phyllodes of A. quadrimarginea are not glaucous and its pods are different. Bears some superficial resemblance to A. incanicarpa (W.A.).
Type of accepted name
Tarcoola, S.A., June 1912, J.W.Mellor ; n.v.
Illustrations
J.M.Black, loc. cit .; M.Simmons, Acacias Australia 2: 235 & pls 32 & 33 (1988); D.J.E.Whibley & D.E.Symon, Acacias S. Australia 2nd edn, 261 (1992).
Representative collections
S.A.: L. Gairdner area, c. 3 km N Mulga Well outstation and 20 km NE of Kingoonya, B.Lay 283 (AD, PERTH); 8 km W of Nonning, 27 Aug. 1955, A.R.Main (PERTH); 21 km SE of Mulgathing Stn on road to Malbooma Railway siding, D.E.Symon 1118 (AD, PERTH).
(BRM & RSC)
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.
