Acacia chartacea Maslin, Nuytsia 8: 293; 294, fig. 3 (1992)
Glabrous shrub or tree 1.5–4 (- 6) m high. Branches and branchlets pruinose. Stipules spinose, frequently absent on mature plants, 3–6 mm long, robust. Phyllodes somewhat asymmetric, ovate to elliptic or narrowly elliptic, (2–) 2.5–5.5 (–6.5) cm long, 1–2.5 (–3.3) cm wide, rounded-obtuse, retuse to subretuse, coriaceous, green, with prominent midrib, obscurely penninerved; basal gland 0–2 mm above pulvinus and 0.5–1 mm long, an insignificant gland also near mucro. Inflorescences racemose in upper axils, infrequently simple; raceme axes mostly 3–8 cm long; peduncles twinned, 8–15 mm long, robust, with a normally caducous bract near apex; heads globular, densely 60–90-flowered, cream to pale lemon yellow; bracteoles absent. Flowers 5-merous; sepals free, narrowly spathulate. Pods narrowly oblong, to 5 cm long, 8–12 mm wide, chartaceous, light (yellowish) brown. Seeds transverse, elliptic, 3 mm long; aril small.
Occurs from near the Murchison R. N to Shark Bay, also near Cape Cuvier, W.A. Grows in sand or sandy clay in tall dense shrubland or, at Cape Cuvier, in alkaline sand in Triodia -shrub steppe.
Distinguished from other members of the ‘ A. victoriae group’ by a combination of its broad, retuse to subretuse phyllodes, and predominantly racemose inflorescences with pale-coloured heads of 60–90 flowers. At Cape Cuvier it grows near A. ryaniana , the only prostrate member of the group. These two species are unusual in having a minute second gland, flanked by a pair of stipule-like appendages, located near the apical mucro.
Type of accepted name
49.5 km S of Billabong Roadhouse, North West Coastal Hwy, W.A., 22 Sept. 1976, B.R.Maslin 4331 ; holo: PERTH; iso: CANB, K, MEL, NSW, NY.
Illustration
B.R.Maslin, loc. cit .
Representative collections
W.A.: 48 km N of Murchison R., North West Coastal Hwy, A.M.Ashby 4495 (CANB, NSW, PERTH); Cooloomia Nature Reserve, c. 13 km W of Cooloomia HS, S.D.Hopper 1396 (PERTH); 10 km from L. McLeod mine site along salt haul road, 31 Feb. 1982, J.Tyler s.n . (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.
