Acacia abrupta Maiden & Blakely, J. & Proc. Roy. Soc. W. Australia 13: 6; pl. 5, figs 11–17 (1928)
Glabrous, resinous, viscid shrub 1–2 m high. Bark light grey. Phyllodes ascending to erect, incurved, terete, infrequently subquadrangular, 2–9 cm long but commonly 3–5 cm long, 0.5–1 mm wide, obliquely truncate, excentrically mucronulate, dark green, obscurely 4-nerved; gland 0–2 mm above pulvinus, oblong to elliptic and 0.5–1 mm long, a smaller, circular gland at base of mucro. Inflorescences simple and 1 per axil or 1-headed racemes with axes 2–4 mm long; peduncles 8–12 mm long; basal bract present (on racemes) or absent (on non-racemose inflorescences); heads globular, 25-35-flowered, golden. Flowers 5-merous; sepals 1/4–1/2-united, sometimes splitting to base upon dissection. Pods linear, shallowly constricted between seeds, arcuate, biconvex, to 5 cm long, 2.5–3 mm wide, longitudinally reticulate. Seeds longitudinal, 4 mm long; aril conspicuous.
Occurs in the Arid Zone from near Newman, W.A., to near L. Amadeus, N.T. Grows on sand plains or lateritic hills with spinifex.
A member of the ‘ A. wilhelmiana group’ and related to A. ascendens . Sometimes confused with A. helmsiana which also occurs in the Arid Zone.
Type of accepted name
Victoria Desert Camp 36 [c. 26S and 127E], W.A., 31 Aug. 1891, R.Helms 11 ; holo: NSW; iso: AD, K, PERTH.
Illustrations
J.H.Maiden & W.F.Blakely, loc. cit. ; B.R.Maslin, in J.P.Jessop (ed.), Fl. Central Australia 119 (1981).
Representative collections
W.A.: 12.9 km N of Kumarina, Great Northern Hwy, M.E. Ballingall 1836 (BRI, PERTH); Warburton Region, P.E.Conrick 903 (NT, PERTH). N.T.: 17 km E Docker R., Petermann Ra., T.S.Henshall 2810 (PERTH); 8 km W of Armstrong Ck, J.R.Maconochie 1839 (AD, NSW, 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.
