Acacia affin. baxteri
Harsh, rigid, prickly, much-branched, erect shrubs 1–2 m tall and about the same across. Bark dark grey, tesselated. Branchlets finely ribbed, glabrous, brownish green or (especially when in fruit) white-pruinose at their extremities. Stipules spiny, small, shallowly recurved. Phyllodes +/- narrowly oblong, narrowed towards the sharply pungent apex, 8–10 mm long, 1–2 mm wide, flat, rigid, widely spreading, glabrous, dark green, midrib prominent, upper margin not thickened and nerve-like as in A. andrewsii . Inflorescences simple; 1 per axil; heads globular, 5–6 mm diam. (when fresh), compact with the stamens scarcely exserted beyond the petals at anthesis, rich golden, 25–30-flowered; mature flower buds yellow but often tinged orange; peduncles 2–4 (–6) mm long, glabrous, red. Flowers 5-merous; sepals free. Pods terete, 4–5 cm long, 2–3 mm wide, coriaceous-crustaceous to sub-woody, curved, glabrous, dark red (tinged brown), finely longitudinally nerved. Seeds longitudinal, 3–4 mm long, 1–1.5 mm wide, yellow/grey bespeckled with brown mottlings; aril creamy white.
Known from one or two very localized population in the north-central wheatbelt region of W.A., near Kalannie. Occurs on a low rise in shallow soil over highly weathered granite. Flowers June - July.
The taxonomic status of this apparently uncommon taxon needs to be assessed in the light of more collections and research. It appears to be most closely related to the more southerly distributed A. baxteri which differs in its lower stature, significantly thickened and nerve-like upper margin of phyllodes, broader pods and larger, not mottled seeds. It also superficially resembles A. andrewsii which is distinguished by its light grey, +/- ribless branchlets, slightly longer, yellowish flowering peduncles, yellowish flower buds (not tinged orange), non-mottled seeds and phyllodes with thickened and somewhat nerve-like upper margins.
Representative collection
W.A.: near Kalannie (precise locality information withheld for conservation reasons), B.R.Maslin 7702 (PERTH).
(BRM)
This species was not included in the Fl. Australia treatment of Acacia. The above account is based on the treatment presented in: Maslin, B.R. (1998), Wattle of the Kalannie region: their identification, characteristics and utilisation. CDROM Publication. (Department of Conservation and Land Management: Perth.)
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.
