Acacia anaticeps Tindale, Contr. New South Wales Natl Herb. 4: 269; pl. 23 (1972)
Shrubby tree to 7 m high. Bark corky, deeply furrowed. Branchlets terete, finely ribbed, glabrous. Phyllodes inequilaterally obovate-elliptic to subflabellate, obliquely falcate, 4–9 cm long, 2–6 cm wide, obtuse to bluntly acute, coriaceous, subglaucous, glabrous, with 4 or 5 main longitudinal nerves and reticulate between. Inflorescences in terminal or axillary racemes or panicles; raceme axes glabrous; peduncles 2–5 mm long, glabrous; heads 2–2.5 mm diam., 4–7-flowered, cream. Flowers 5-merous; sepals minute, free. Pods moniliform, raised over seeds and variably constricted between them, strongly curved, to 28 cm long, c. 2 cm wide, crustaceous to woody. Seeds longitudinal, broadly elliptic to circular, 9.5–14 mm long, dull, brown, the strongly depressed areole paler; funicle thickened, exarillate.
Occurs in the NW deserts from between Port Hedland and Broome on the coast, inland to between L. Disappointment and L. Gregory, W.A. Often grows on red dunes or in saline depressions.
A well marked species with corky bark, unusual shaped phyllodes that are reminiscent of the outline of a duck’s head, minute flowers in few-flowered, cream heads, large pods and exarillate, nearly circular, compressed seeds with the areole strongly depressed.
Type of accepted name
Close to Wallal Downs HS, W.A., May 1970, F.Lullfitz s.n. ; holo: NSW; iso: A, AD, BRI, CANB, K, L, MEL, PERTH, US.
Illustration
M.D.Tindale, loc. cit .
Representative collections
W.A.: Edgar Ra., K.F.Kenneally 5552 (PERTH); Anketell Ridge, A.S.Mitchell 1178 (PERTH); Canning Stock Route, S of Well 44, K.Palmer 25 (PERTH).
(RSC & 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.
