Acacia anomala C.A.Gardner ex Court, Nuytsia 2: 168; 169, fig. 1 & 176, fig. 4 (1978)
Chittering Grass Wattle
Erect, rush-like subshrub 0.2–0.45 m high, few- or several-stemmed from the base, sometimes few bipinnate leaves persistent near base of stems. Upper stems narrowly winged and resembling A. applanata , glabrous. Phyllodes few, sometimes absent, linear to narrowly elliptic, 4–10 cm long, 2–6 mm wide, sometimes smaller subtending inflorescences, acute to mucronate, green, glabrous; midrib central or excentric; pulvinus 0.5–1 mm long. Inflorescences simple; peduncles 1–4 mm long, glabrous; basal bracts persistent, conspicuous; spikes mostly 1–3 cm long, golden; bracteoles caducous, scarious, acuminate, dark brown, prominent in buds. Flowers mostly 5-merous; sepals c. 1/2-united or more into an irregularly lobed calyx. Pods linear, to 5 cm long, 3 mm wide, crustaceous, glabrous; margins thick. Seeds longitudinal, oblong, 2.5 mm long; aril curved or once-folded.
Restricted to a few disjunct populations in the Darling Ra. from near Chittering S to Pickering Brook, W.A. Gazetted a rare species in W.A. Confined to lateritic soils in eucalypt woodland.
Population genetic studies using isozyme techniques show that the northern populations reproduce sexually whereas the southern populations appear to be clonal, reproducing almost exclusively by root suckering, fide D.J.Coates, Austral. J. Bot . 36: 273- 286 (1988).
Vegetatively resembling and sometimes sympatric with A. applanata which is readily distinguished by its globular flower-heads and wider pods.
Type of accepted name
Between Muchea and Chittering, W.A., Aug. 1961, H.H.Kretchmar & C.A.Gardner s.n. ; holo: PERTH.
Illustrations
A.B.Court, loc. cit .
Representative collections
W.A.: [precise localities withheld for conservation reasons], Bullsbrook area, B.R.Maslin s.n. (PERTH); Kalamunda, S.D.Hopper 2488 (PERTH); Pickering Brook area, 26 Sept. 1989, J.L.Robson (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.
