Acacia caerulescens Maslin & Court, Muelleria 7: 131; 132, fig. 1 (1989)
Buchan Blue , Buchan Blue Wattle
Tree to 10–15 m high, often pyramidal in outline. Branchlets pruinose, glabrous. Phyllodes obovate to oblanceolate or elliptic to narrowly elliptic, 4–8 cm long, 1.5–3 cm wide, narrowed and often shallowly recurved near base, obtuse, glaucous, pruinose when young, glabrous, with midrib central or towards the adaxial margin, finely penninerved; gland 5–25 mm above the pulvinus, connected to pulvinus by a fine, oblique nerve. Inflorescences racemose but racemes often in panicles 4–9 cm long; raceme axes 1–3 cm long, glabrous; peduncles 6–8 mm long, rather slender, glabrous; heads globular, mostly 20–30-flowered, lemon yellow. Flowers 5-merous; sepals united. Pods stipitate, 5–12 cm long, 14–22 mm wide, chartaceous, pruinose, glabrous. Seeds longitudinal to longitudinally oblique, elliptic, 5–6 mm long, dull, black; funicle thick, red-brown, constricted at junction with aril.
Restricted to the Lakes Entrance- Buchan district, Vic., where it is known only from the Swan Reach- Tambo Upper region and Lake Tyers N to the Murrindal area. It occurs as remnant populations in clay over limestone in Eucalyptus woodland or forest; its distribution appears to be strictly associated with limestone geology. Remaining populations are under threat by land clearing, etc., fide B.R.Maslin & A.B.Court, op. cit. 133. Flowering commences in Nov.
Closely related to A. obliquinervia which has less glaucous and often longer (5–17 cm) phyllodes with the gland 0–12 mm above the pulvinus and lacking an associated fine, oblique nerve extending to the pulvinus, stouter peduncles 1.5–5 mm long. Acacia obliquinervia is widespread and occurs at higher altitudes than A. caerulescens .
Type of accepted name
Beside Wulgulmerang- Buchan road, c. 4.3 km from Buchan by road, Vic., 10 Nov. 1985, A.B.Court CBG8506135; holo: CANB; iso: AD, B, BRI, G, K, L, MEL, NSW, NY, PERTH, US.
Illustrations
L.F.Costermans, Native Trees & Shrubs SE Australia 318 (1981), fig. A under A. obliquinervia ; B.R.Maslin & A.B.Court, Muelleria 7: 132, fig. 1 (1989); T.Tame, Acacias SE Australia 133, fig. 140, pl. 140 (1992).
Representative collections
Vic.: Stony Ck crossing of the Princes Hwy, Toorloo Arm, D.E.Albrecht 2276 (CANB, NSW, PERTH); 4.5 km from Buchan towards Wulgulmerang, 22 May 1988, B.R.Maslin s.n. (CANB, PERTH); Murrindal, N.A.Wakefield 4103 (MEL).
(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.
