Acacia delicatula Tindale & Kodela, Telopea 5: 58; 56, fig. 2 & 60, fig. 3f–j (1992)
Erect to ascending, resinous shrub to 1.5 m high. Bark finely fissured. Branchlets terete, with minutely crenulated resinous ridges, markedly angular towards apices, glabrous, sometimes mealy. Phyllodes in clusters of 2–6, linear to filiform, straight or slightly curved, semi-terete, (4.5–) 7–13 (–18) mm long, 0.2–0.5 mm wide, with acute to aristate apex, glabrous; nerves inconspicuous. Inflorescences simple, 1 or 2 per axil; peduncles 5–18 mm long; heads globular, 4–6.5 mm diam., 34–38-flowered. Flowers 5-merous; calyx 0.6–1 mm long, dissected by –3/4, glabrous, the sepal apices subulate or acuminate; corolla 1.3–1.8 mm long, dissected to 1/2 or more, the petals with midrib only; ovary glabrous, usually with bulbous yellow cap. Pods mostly very narrowly oblanceolate, basally tapered, straight-sided, flat, 2–4.4 cm long, 3–4 mm wide, woody, glabrous, obliquely to longitudinally nerved, opening elastically from a hooked apex. Seeds oblique, brown; pleurogram with pale halo; areole open; funicle-aril conical.
Occurs in north-western W.A. and northern N.T. Grows usually in shrubland or open eucalypt savannah on rocky or stony plateaux and hill slopes. Flowers Jan., Mar., Apr., & July.
WATTLE Note. A recent Qld collection from "S boundary ofMiddle Park", N of Richmond, A.R.Bean 14995 (BRI), is distributionally anomalous and need confirming as A. delicatula .
A member of the ‘ Acacia stigmatophylla group’ most nearly related to A. subternata which differs in its slightly broader phyllodes 0.4–0.8 mm wide, capitula 5–8.5 mm diam., spathulate sepals with broadly rounded apices, and mostly longer longitudinally striated petals. Also related to A. manipularis which differs in having longer phyllodes to 23 mm long and less angular branchlets without prominently resin-crenulated ridges.
Type of accepted name
2.7 km W of ‘Rock Pools’ (Bulbe gardar) along high track skirting the base of ‘Geringbah’ Escarpment [SW of Cahills Crossing], N.T., 24 July 1980, C.F.Puttock & J.T.Waterhouse ; holo: NSW; iso: DNA, K, UNSW.
Illustrations
M.D.Tindale & P.G.Kodela, op. cit . 60, fig.3f–j; J.R.Wheeler, in J.R.Wheeler (ed.), Fl. Kimberley Region 326, fig. 95E (1992), as Acacia sp. C.
Representative collections
W.A.: 50 m E of turnoff to Pentecost Downs (Karunjie), Gibb River Rd, D.Keith & B.Pellow 225 (CANB, NSW). N.T.: 13 miles [21 km] E of El Sharana Mine, M.Lazarides 7971 (CANB, NSW, PERTH); near East Alligator R. Ranger Stn, Kakadu Natl Park, J.Russell-Smith 936 (CANB, DNA, PERTH).
(PGK & MDT)
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.
