Acacia continua Benth., Fl. Austral. 2: 322 (1864)
Thorn Wattle
Openly branching, rigid shrub to 2 m high. Branchlets terete, ribbed, glabrous. Phyllodes continuous with branchlets but not forming cauline wings, ascending, straight or recurved, often kinked at large gland, terete, with lower ones 2–4 cm long, 1.5–2 mm diam. basally and upper ones shorter, tapering to pungent tip, glabrous, with c. 7 distant nerves. Inflorescences simple, 1 or 2 per axil; peduncles 2–6 mm long, glabrous; basal bracts dark brown and prominent; heads globular, 6–10 mm diam., 30-flowered, golden; bracteoles widely spathulate, obtuse, dark brown, evident in buds. Flowers 5-merous; sepals united. Pods linear, constricted between and raised on alternate sides over seeds, curved to once-coiled, to 8 cm long, 3–4 mm wide, coriaceous, glabrous. Seeds longitudinal, elliptic, 3–8 mm long, dull brown; aril lateral, clavate.
Common in S.A. from Eyre Penin. and Flinders and Lofty Ranges S to near Adelaide, and scattered localities eastward to near L. Cargellico, N.S.W. Grows in hard alkaline, calcareous and sandy alkaline soils, in woodland, open scrub and Triodia grassland.
The arrangement of infloresence and peduncular bracts, bracteoles, gamosepalous calyx and curved to coiled pods suggest this species is nearest the ‘ A. pravifolia group’, in spite of the form of the phyllodes which in that group are commonly inequilateral, articulate on the stem and flattened.
Type of accepted name
Lake Gilles, S.A., J.Burkitt ; syn: MEL30672; isosyn: PERTH (Fragment ex MEL); Murray desert, Vic., F.Mueller s.n. ; syn: K; towards Mt Remarkable, S.A., Oct. 1850, F.Mueller s.n. ; syn: K. Note: There are a number of other Mueller collections at MEL, collected as A. collectiodes from within the geographical area covered by the type citation ‘from the Murray to St Vincent’s and Spencer’s Gulfs and Mt Remarkable’, which might also be syntypes, however, the actual localities given on their labels do not match those given in the type citation and some have not been see by Bentham, e.g. MEL30662, 30664, 30665, 30666, 30669, 30671 and 30676.
Synonymy
[ Acacia colletioides auct. non A.Cunn. ex Benth.: G.Bentham, Linnaea 26: 609 (1855) and F.J.H.von Mueller, Pl. Victoria 2: 5 (1863)]
Illustrations
F. von Mueller, Iconogr. Austral. Acacia dec. 1 [pl. 3] (1887); L.F.Costermans, Native Trees & Shrubs SE Australia 307 (1981); G.M.Cunningham et al ., Pl. W New South Wales 358 (1981); D.J.E.Whibley & D.E.Symon, Acacias S. Australia 2nd edn, 47 (1992).
Representative collections
S.A.: Miccollo Hill, Gawler Ra., B.J.Conn 1813 (K, MEL, NSW, PERTH, TL); Eyre Penin., Mt Gairdner, N.N.Donner 3355 (AD, PERTH); Port Germein Gorge, Southern Flinders Ra., D.J.E.Whibley 2031 (AD, PERTH). N.S.W.: Mootwingee Natl Park, P.E.Conrick 1461 (AD, PERTH).
(BRM & RSC)
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.
