Acacia wanyu Tindale, Contr. New South Wales Natl Herb. 4: 270; pl. 24 (1972)
Wanyu , Silver-leaf Mulga
Shrub or shrubby tree 1.5–4 m high. New growth golden-sericeous. Branchlets sericeous, glabrescent. Phyllodes erect, filiform, straight to incurved, terete, 5–18 cm long, 0.8–1.3 mm diam., acute, thin-flexible, silvery sericeous (golden-sericeous when young), with numerous fine, slightly raised nerves; glands 1–3, lowermost 3–9 mm above pulvinus. Inflorescences simple, 2 per axil; peduncles 3–6 mm long, sericeous; spikes 11–25 mm long, 5–6 mm diam., slightly interrupted, light golden. Flowers 5-merous; sepals 1/3 as long as petals, united. Pods pendent, moniliform, straight or slightly curved, to 18 cm long, 6–10 mm diam., woody, brownish, silvery sericeous to subglabrous. Seeds longitudinal, broadly elliptic, 6–8 mm long, dull, brown; aril terminal, crested.
Occurs from near Pannawonica S to Pingandie Stn (S of Paraburdoo) eastwards along the southern perimeter of the Pilbara region to the vicinity of Rudall R., Great Sandy Desert; also an outlier at Winderie Stn, E of Shark Bay, W.A. Grows commonly along creeks and drainage lines, in often stony clay or loam, loamy sand, clay, clay loam and sand, in association with mulga and other Acacia spp. in low scrub to tall shrubland on plains and similar areas of low relief.
Very close to A. cuthbertsonii subsp. linearis and perhaps better treated as a third subspecies; A. cuthbertsonii subsp. linearis is distinguished by its normally compressed (but ranging to terete or flat), subrigid phyllodes, slightly shorter calyx and non-moniliform pods, although the pods may be shallowly constricted.
The possibility of hybridisation has to be considered, for some specimens appear to combine the narrow, nearly flat phyllodes that characterise A. cuthbertsonii subsp. linearis with the elongate, narrow, moniliform pods that mark A. wanyu (e.g. Neds Creek Stn, A.A.Mitchell 1280 , ERTH). Both taxa occur on Winderie Stn, ENE of Shark Bay.
Type of accepted name
1 mile [1.6 km] from Wyloo HS, Wyloo Stn, Ashburton R., W.A., Aug. 1971, W.Henwood 81 ; holo: NSW n.v. ; iso: CANB n.v. , K n.v. , MEL n.v. , PERTH, US n.v.
Illustration
M.D.Tindale, loc. cit.
Representative collections
W.A.: 4 km E of Winderie HS, W.Edgecombe 14 (PERTH); upper Rudall R. area, B.R.Maslin 2048 (BRI, CANB, K, NSW, PERTH, US); 4 km W of Hill Z, c. 124 km SE of Shay Gap, K.Newbey 10121 (MO, PERTH); Barlee Ra., Henry R., R.D.Royce 6543 (PERTH); 7.2 km towards Mt Tom Price from North West Coastal Hwy, M.Trudgen 2321 (CANB, 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.
