Acacia brachycarpa Pedley, Contr. Queensland Herb. 4: 5 (1969)
Compact, much-branched shrub to 2 m high but usually much smaller. Branchlets sparsely to moderately hirsutellous. Stipules c. 1 mm long. Phyllodes scattered, some subverticillate, subsessile, patent, linear to linear-triangular, flat but often quadrangular when dry due to pronounced midrib on each face, 9–15 mm long, c. 1 mm wide, pungent, rigid, glabrous; gland obscure, 1.5–2.5 mm above base. Inflorescences simple, 1 per axil; peduncles 1.5–4 mm long, slender, glabrous, recurved in fruit; basal bracts 3; heads globular, small, 8–18-flowered, bright lemon yellow; bracteoles acuminate but not exserted beyond flowers in buds. Flowers 5-merous; sepals free, oblanceolate. Pods 8–20 mm long, 3–4 mm wide, acute, 1–3-seeded, firmly chartaceous, blackish, glabrous. Seeds (immature) longitudinal, oblong, 3.5 mm long, exarillate; funicle filiform.
Sporadic in south-eastern Qld from Blackdown Tableland to Stanthorpe. Grows in Eucalyptus open forest, normally on sandstone.
A member of the ‘ A. ulicifolia group’. Vegetatively similar to A. ulicifolia and A. brownii which have larger, creamy yellow or golden, more-flowered heads, longer peduncles and longer pods with more seeds. Although A. brachycarpa is generally distributed further inland than A. ulicifolia , the two are sympatric at Crow’s Nest and on the Blackdown Tableland, fide L.Pedley, Austrobaileya 1: 238 (1979). Unlike other members of the ‘ A. ulicifolia group’ the seed of A. brachycarpa appears not to be mottled, but mature seeds have not been seen.
Type of accepted name
21 miles [33.8 km] SE of ‘Bedourie’, Qld, 14 Oct. 1963, N.H.Speck 1852 ; holo: BRI; iso: CANB.
Synonymy
Racosperma brachycarpum (Pedley) Pedley, Austrobaileya 2: 345 (1987). Type: as for accepted name.
Illustrations
B.A.Lebler, Wildfl. SE Queensland 2: 42 & colour pl. (1981); J.B.Hacker, Guide Herbaceous & Shrub Legumes Queensland 33 (1990).
Representative collections
Qld: Blackdown Tableland, 19 km SSE of Bluff, R.W.Johnson 1135A (BRI); Helidon Hills, M.Olsen 820 & B. Lebler (BRI); Stanthorpe, J.Westcott (BRI168021).
(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.
