Acacia alexandri Maslin, Nuytsia 8: 288; 289, fig. 1 (1992)
Glabrous shrub 1.5–3 m high. Branchlets slender. Stipules spinose, commonly absent or infrequent on mature plants, 3–4 mm long, slender. Phyllodes linear, 6–13 cm long, 2.5–6 mm wide, rarely to 11 mm, narrowed at base, not rigid, 1-nerved, finely penninerved; gland not prominent, 0–2 mm above pulvinus. Inflorescences simple, mostly 2 per axil, initiated synchronously with phyllodes on new shoots; racemes rare; peduncles 8–15 mm long, slender, with caducous bract near or above middle; heads globular, densely 60–80-flowered, cream. Flowers 5-merous; sepals free, narrowly spathulate. Pods narrowly oblong, prominently rounded over seeds, to 7 cm long, 7–8 mm wide, chartaceous. Seeds variably aligned, commonly transverse, globose, c. 4 mm diam., dull, blackish, yellow around pleurogram; funicle short; aril depressed-clavate.
Restricted to the Cape Ra., north-western W.A. Grows in pink loam on rocky limestone slopes in Mallee shrubland.
Allied to the widespread A. victoriae which has usually shorter phyllodes, mostly racemose, 15–30-flowered heads, 9–16 mm wide pods and mottled seeds. Acacia synchronicia , another member of the ‘ A. victoriae group’, occurs in the Cape Ra. but has much shorter phyllodes and golden flower-heads.
Type of accepted name
Cape Ra., W.A., 29 Aug. 1988, B.R.Maslin 6284 ; holo: PERTH; iso: CANB, K, MEL, NY, NSW.
Illustration
B.R.Maslin, loc. cit .
Representative collections
W.A.: Cape Ra., A.S.George 2479 (PERTH); K.F.Kenneally 7337 (BRI, CANB, MEL, 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.
