Acacia barringtonensis Tindale, Telopea 1: 72 (1975)
Barrington Wattle
Usually a shrub 1–3 m high. Branchlets angled at extremities, with indumentum of sparse, minute (<0.1 mm long), appressed, straight hairs. Phyllodes narrowly elliptic to narrowly oblong-elliptic, usually 5–10 cm long, 7.5–11.5 mm wide, thin, with indumentum as on branchlets except denser on young tips, occasionally some glabrous, 1-nerved; lateral nerves obscure; gland not exserted, normally 5–23 mm above pulvinus, often connected to midrib by a fine oblique nerve, with margin normally slightly recessed at gland. Inflorescences racemose; raceme axes usually 1.5–3.5 cm long, with indumentum as on branchlets but often denser; peduncles 2–4 mm long, with indumentum as on raceme axes; heads globular, 8–16-flowered, golden; bracteoles similar to A. caesiella . Flowers 5-merous; sepals c. 4/5-united; ovary densely pubescent. Pods stipitate, to 8 cm long, 10–11 mm wide, firmly chartaceous, dark brown, glabrous, dehiscing unilaterally. Seeds longitudinal, oblong-elliptic, 4–6 mm long, slightly shiny, black; aril clavate.
Occurs in the Great Divide from Gibralter Ra. Natl Park S to Barrington and Gloucester Tops, northern N.S.W. Grows in soil derived from granite or basalt, near creeks or on margins of swamps, in Eucalyptus forest or woodland, usually at altitudes above 1000 m.
A specimen from the Upper Manning R., Barrington Tops, ( D.F.Blaxell 26 & R.G.Coveny , NSW) is slightly unusual in being a tree to 5 m high and with phyllodes to 13 cm long and racemes to c. 6 cm long.
Acacia barringtonensis together with A. caesiella , A. clunies-rossiae and A. dorothea forms a group of related species which are discussed by M.D.Tindale, Telopea 1: 72–74 (1975). Related to A. covenyi , fide M.D.Tindale, Telopea 1: 435 (1980). Acacia polifolia from Qld is closely allied to these species.
Type of accepted name
Barrington Plateau, 36 miles [58 km] E by N of Scone, N.S.W., 16 Oct. 1960, R.Story 7537 ; holo: NSW; iso: CANB.
Illustrations
I.B.Armitage, Acacias New South Wales 110 (1978); M.D.Tindale, Telopea 1: 436, pl. 20e- f (1980), gland; T.Tame, Acacias SE Australia 154, fig. 169, pl. 169 (1992).
Representative collections
N.S.W.: Gloucester Tops, R.Coveny (NSW95769), Mulligan’s Hut, Gibralter Ra. Natl Park, R.Coveny 2229 (NSW); Barrington Tops, at top of Moonan Brook track, I.R.Telford 2583 (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.
