Acacia x grayana J.H.Willis, Victorian Naturalist 73: 155 (1957)
Dense shrub or tree 2–3 m high. Branchlets glabrous except sometimes appressed-puberulous at the often angled extremities. New shoots subglabrous to densely appressed-puberulous with white or pale golden hairs. Stipules caducous. Phyllodes linear-oblanceolate or narrowly elliptic, 2.5–5.5 cm long, 2–4.5 mm wide, l:w = 12–21, normally abruptly narrowed to a delicate, curved to uncinate point, glabrous, 1-nerved per face, obscurely penninerved. Inflorescences normally 2- or 3-headed racemes; raceme axes normally 1–5 mm long, subglabrous to moderately antrorsely puberulous with white or pale yellow hairs; peduncles 4–12 mm long, with indumentum as on raceme axes; heads globular, 20–35-flowered, bright golden. Flowers 5-merous; sepals free or united. Pods submoniliform, to c. 7 cm long, c. 6 mm wide, thinly coriaceous, glabrous. Seeds longitudinal, elliptic, c. 6 mm long, black; funicle folded on one side of the seed.
Discontinuous, occurring in the Mannum- Monarto South and Lameroo areas, S.A., and the Wyperfeld Natl Park and Kiata districts, Vic. Grows on sand and sandy loams in mallee or Callitris woodlands.
G.J.Leach & T.Wiffen, Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 76: 53–69 (1978), have shown A. x grayana to be a hybrid between A. brachybotrya and A. calamifolia (the latter parent is now known to be A. euthycarpa , a member of the ‘ Acacia microbotrya group’). This hybrid species is most likely to be confused with A. euthycarpa but is distinguished (rather arbitrarily) by its hairy new shoots and peduncles. These characters also distinguish A. x grayana from A. simmonsiana , which is further distinguished by its normally persistent stipules, 3 mm wide pods and terminal, conical aril.
The name A. microcarpa var. linearis is commonly found on specimens of A. euthycarpa .
Type of accepted name
Woraigworm Parish, S of Kiata and about 14 miles [22.5 km] W of Dimboola, Vic., 9 Sept. 1951 (sphalm. ‘10 Sept.’), A.J.Gray ; holo: MEL; iso: AD; probable iso: NSW.
Synonymy
Acacia microcarpa var. linearis J.M.Black, Fl. S. Australia 1st edn, 4: 687 (June 1929); Trans. & Proc. Roy. Soc. S. Australia 53: 262 (Dec. 1929). Type: Kinchina, near Monarto South, S.A., 10 Oct. 1925, J.M.Black ; syn: AD; same locality, June 1925, E.H.Ising ; syn: AD.
Illustration
T.Tame, Acacias SE Australia 121, fig. 124a (1992).
Representative collections
S.A.: Northern side of ‘Mount Acres’ property, NE of Lameroo, P.Copley 489 (AD); c. 3 km W of Tepko, K.Czornij 229 (AD). Vic.: WNW of Yarto, just within eastern boundary of Wyperfeld Natl Park, 25 June 1960, I.O.Maroske s.n . (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.
