Acacia viscifolia Maiden & Blakely, J.& Proc. Roy. Soc. W. Australia 13: 7; pl. 6, figs 1–7 (1928)
Rather dense, often slightly resinous shrub 0.3–1 m high. Branchlets sparsely to moderately puberulous with hairs normally appressed and often golden at extremities. Phyllodes patent to erect, filiform, incurved or if straight then often markedly curved upwards at base, terete, usually 1–3 cm long, 0.5 mm wide, excentrically mucronulate to rostriform, with mucro commonly blunt and indistinct, sometimes subuncinate, green, glabrous or subglabrous, indistinctly 5- or 7-nerved; gland obscure, 1–2 mm above pulvinus. Inflorescences 1- or 2- headed racemes with axes 1–2 mm long, sometimes simple; peduncles 3–6 mm long, sparsely appressed-puberulous with golden and/or white hairs; basal bract solitary; heads globular, 13–23-flowered, golden. Flowers 5-merous; sepals 1/4–3/4-united. Pods (few seen) linear, curved or twisted, to 6 cm long, 2–3 mm wide, thinly coriaceous, glabrous, viscid. Seeds longitudinal, oblong, 4 mm long; aril terminal.
Occurs from near Quairading E to Frank Hann Natl Park and S to Ongerup, south-western W.A. In sand, loam or clay, commonly in low-lying areas near watercourses, in Eucalyptus woodland or shrub or tree mallee associations.
Phyllodes are usually 5-nerved and 1–3 cm long but on some specimens (including the type) in the Bruce Rock- Hyden area, they are 7-nerved and may reach 4 cm in length. A few specimens with atypically short phyllodes (0.5 cm) occur throughout the range.
Perhaps should be treated as an infraspecific taxon of A. wilhelmiana which is distinguished by its ribbed branchlets and densely golden appressed-puberulous peduncles. Three collections from the Ongerup- Newdegate area are unusual ( K.R.Newbey 911 and s.n. , M.H.Simmons 1340 , all PERTH). They superficially resemble A. viscifolia but their branchlets are ribbed like A. wilhelmiana ; their peduncles are densely appressed-puberulous but the hairs are white. Typical A. viscifolia occurs in the Ongerup- Newdegate area. Appears closely related to A. leptalea .
Type of accepted name
Bruce Rock, W.A., Aug. 1917, F.Stoward 170 ; holo: NSW; iso: K.
Illustration
J.H.Maiden & W.F.Blakely, loc. cit.
Representative collections
W.A.: E side of Fitzgerald R., Ongerup- Ravensthorpe Rd, 4 Sept. 1976, A.S.George s.n . (PERTH); 0.8 km N of Pederah, K.Newbey 3227 (CANB, L, PERTH); 16 km E of Mt Madden, P.G.Wilson 6871 (CANB, K, PERTH, MEL).
(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.
