Acacia uncifera Benth., in T.L.Mitchell, J. Exped. Trop. Australia 341 (1848)
Straggly or willowy shrub or tree 2–5 m high. Branchlets velvety pubescent with dense, soft, spreading hairs 0.5–1 mm long. Phyllodes patent to erect, narrowly oblong to narrowly elliptic, sometimes oblanceolate, normally 2–5 cm long and 6–15 mm wide with l:w = 3–5, with 1–2 mm long, incurved or inflexed mucro, thinly coriaceous, green, velvety pubescent, with prominent midrib, obscurely penninerved; glands 2–3, the lowermost 1–5 mm above pulvinus; pulvinus c. 2 mm long. Inflorescences 10–20-headed racemes; raceme axes 5–8 cm long, exceeding phyllodes, rather stout and pubescent; peduncles usually 4–7 mm long, pubescent; heads globular, 25–30-flowered, bright golden. Flowers 5-merous; sepals 2/3–3/4-united. Pods variably constricted between seeds, to 6.5 cm long, 6–10 mm wide, thinly coriaceous, velvety. Seeds oblique to almost transverse, elliptic, obliquely truncate adjacent to aril, 4–5 mm long, dull to slightly shiny, black.
Known only from the White Mtns, Pentland- Torrens Ck area and the headwaters of the Nogoa R. (type locality, c. 550 km S of Pentland), Qld. Grows on sandstone in Eucalyptus - Angophora low open forest or woodland.
The type locality is a considerable distance from the main area of occurrence of the species, fide L.Pedley, Austrobaileya 1: 277 (1980). Furthermore, the peduncles on the type specimen are only 3 mm long.
Seems most closely related to A. podalyriifolia which has pruinose branchlets, commonly broader, usually silvery grey to glaucous phyllodes with a single gland further removed from pulvinus, and broader pods with larger seeds. There are also subtle indumentum differences, fide L.Pedley, loc. cit. Specimens with patent phyllodes may be reminiscent of A. leichhardtii which has narrower, usually less hairy phyllodes with solitary glands (sometimes absent) and longitudinal seeds encircled by the funicle.
Type of accepted name
Subtropical New Holland [foot of sandstone mountains, 25S, 14710’E, NE of Mt Playfair, Qld, 11 Sept. 1846, fide L.Pedley, Austrobaileya 1: 277 (1980)], T.L.Mitchell ‘290’ ; holo: K (sheet stamped herb. Bentham.); iso: K (sheet stamped herb. Hooker.).
Synonymy
Racosperma unciferum (Benth.) Pedley, Austrobaileya 2: 356 (1987). Type: as for accepted name.
Illustration
M.Simmons, Acacias Australia 139 & pl. 34 (1981).
Representative collections
Qld: 29 km W of Pentland, A.D.Chapman 1372 (BRI); Spyglass Peak, Salvator Rosa Natl Park, M.E.Ballingall 2170 (BRI, 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.
