Acacia cuneifolia Maslin, Nuytsia 12: 339 (1999)
Shrub 1.5–3 m high. Branchlets glabrous, hirtellous or pilose and/or puberulous. Stipules 1–3 mm long, spinescent with age but often only indurate bases persistent. Phyllodes occasionally fasciculate in nodose clusters, variably shaped, commonly dimidiately cuneate or oblong-cuneate, with lower margin straight and upper margin rounded or obtusely angled, mostly 8–25 mm long and 2–6 mm wide, with a slender, excentric mucro 0.5–1 mm long and sometimes pungent, glabrous; midrib central or situated towards lower margin. Inflorescences simple or rudimentary racemes; peduncles 1–6 per axil, 5–20 mm long, glabrous or hirtellous, a single bract often present near or above middle; heads globular, 3.5–4.5 mm diam., 23–26-flowered, golden. Flowers 5-merous; sepals 3/4–2/3-united, 1/4–1/3 length of petals. Pods strongly curved to loosely coiled, to 5 cm long, 4.5–5.5 mm wide, glabrous. Seeds longitudinal, oblong to slightly elliptic, 4–5 mm long, dull, dark brown; aril terminal, cream.
Known only from three localities: Pony Hill (c. 18 km due SW of York), about halfway between Perth and Brookton and Boyagin Rock Reserve (c. 17 km due SW of Brookton), c. 65 km due SSE of Pony Hill, south-western W.A. Grows in dark brown clay and coarse sand in runoff channels on granite rocks.
Collections from the Boyagin Rock locality have larger, somewhat oblong-cuneate phyllodes, suggesting A. congesta in general facies; however, the calyx difference separating the two species is too important to consider merging them.
Most closely related to A. congesta which has 30–70-flowered heads and free sepals.
Type of accepted name
Pony Hill, 18 km due SW of York, W.A., 8 Sept. 1987, B.R.Maslin 6176 ; holo: PERTH; iso: CANB, K.
Representative collections
W.A.: Boyagin Rock, B.R.Maslin 4857 (PERTH); Surrey Rd, 2 km SSE of Deefer Rd, c. 41 km due ESE of Lesmurdie, B.R.Maslin 6188 (G, K, 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.
