Acacia beckleri Tindale, in H.Eichler, Fl. S. Australia 2nd edn Suppl., 173 (1965)
Barrier Range Wattle
Shrub to 3 m high, often spreading widely. Branchlets red-brown, commonly pruinose, glabrous. Phyllodes narrowly elliptic, mostly 9–15 cm long and 7–18 mm wide, obtuse or acute, coriaceous, thick, green or grey-green, glabrous; midrib and marginal nerves prominent; lateral nerves normally obscure; glands not prominent, 3–4, the lowermost basal. Inflorescences racemose, occasionally some simple; raceme axes commonly 1–3 cm long, stout, minutely hairy; peduncles 2–8 mm long, thick, coarsely longitudinally sulcate when dry, densely and minutely hairy; heads globular, large (8–10 mm diam.), dense, usually 50–70-flowered, golden; bracteole laminae circular, thick, dark brown, densely white-hairy. Flowers 5-merous; sepals 2/3-united, the lobes and petals densely silvery-hairy at apices. Pods linear, to 13 cm long, 4–5 mm wide, firmly chartaceous to thinly coriaceous, glabrous. Seeds longitudinal, oblong to elliptic, 4–5 mm long, slightly shiny, dark brown to black; aril clavate.
Occurs from the Gawler Ra. and NE Eyre Penin., S.A., E to the Barrier Ra. and the Manara Hills, N.S.W.; also further E in N.S.W. from near Cobar and Jerilderie. Grows in shrubland on rocky ridges and hillsides or sometimes in sand in Mulga communities.
A variant with exceptionally large flower-heads (80–140-flowered, 10–13 mm diam. at anthesis when dry, compared with c. 8 mm) on very thick peduncles occurs with the typical variant in the Flinders Ra., S.A. (e.g. western side of Yourambulla, Peak, N.N.Donner 2595 , AD).
Appears to have some affinities with A. ensifolia and A. pruinocarpa which are readily recognised by their glabrous peduncles 1–4 cm long, golden-hairy bracteole laminae and sepal apices, broader pods (9–18 mm) and transverse to oblique seeds with flat, linear funicles. Sometimes confused with A. notabilis which is distinguished especially by its glabrous raceme axes and peduncles, grey-green to glaucous phyllodes with a single gland (0–3 mm above pulvinus), pods 8–13 mm wide and transverse seeds encircled by long funicles (funicle 1–2 mm long and not encircling seed in A. beckleri ). Superficially similar to A. gladiiformis .
Type of accepted name
Glen to the gorge Nothungbulla [Scopes Ra., c. 100 km E of Barrier Ra.], N.S.W., 15 June 1861, H.Beckler s.n. ; holo: MEL616147; iso: MEL n.v. , NSW n.v .
Synonymy
Racosperma beckleri (Tindale) Pedley, Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 92: 248 (1986). Type: as for accepted name.
[ Acacia notabilis auct. non F.Muell.: G.Bentham, Fl. Austral. 2: 365 (1864), as to N.S.W. specimen cited]
[ Acacia gladiiformis auct. non A.Cunn. ex Benth.: J.M.Black, Fl. S. Australia 2: 280 (1924), fide M.D.Tindale, loc. cit. ]
Illustrations
L.F.Costermans, Native Trees & Shrubs SE Australia 317 (1981); M.Simmons, Acacias Australia 163 (1981); T.Tame, Acacias SE Australia 138, fig. 147, pl. 147 (1992); D.J.E.Whibley & D.E.Symon, Acacias S. Australia 2nd edn, 159 (1992).
Representative collections
S.A.: Corunna Hill, Iron Knob, B.Copley 2320 (AD, PERTH); Gawler Ra., c. 5 km from intersection of Yardea, Nonning and Kingoonya Rds, A.E.Orchard 2335 (AD). N.S.W.: Mootwingee, NE of Broken Hill, B.G.Briggs & J.De Nardi B2761 (NSW, PERTH); Jerilderie, late June 1964, D.Waterhouse (NSW).
(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.
