Acacia dissimilis M.W.McDonald (ms)
Mitchell Plateau Wattle
Openly branched shrub to 2.5 m tall, with openly-branched canopy. Bark smooth, grey. New shoots villous, hairs lemon-yellow. Branchlets terete, sparsely to densely pubescent, hairs silvery. Stipules 4–5 mm long. Phyllodes dimidiate or slightly subfalcate, sometimes with gently recurved apices, 9–15 cm long, 2.5–4.5 cm wide, thinly coriaceous, sparsely to moderately pubescent, grey-green; longitudinal nerves numerous and parallel (nerves 6–7 per mm and with broad internerve spaces between them), anastomoses rare, 3 main and 4 secondary nerves slightly more evident than the rest; pulvinus 5–10 mm long, hairy, brown. Inflorescences simple, 2 per axil; peduncles c. 8-10 mm long, densely hairy. Flowers not seen. Pods linear, sometimes very slightly constricted between the seeds, sub-terete to slightly flattened, coiled, sometimes twisted, 2–7 mm wide, crustaceous, sparsely pubescent, longitudinally wrinkled. Seeds +/- longitudinal, elliptic to irregularly ovoid, 3–4 mm long, 2–3 mm wide, glossy, black; funicle/aril twice-folded, cream.
Currently known from two only sites in the northern Kimberley region, W.A., namely, the Mitchell Plateau (where it grows on laterite) and Laplace Island (where has been recorded from near the summit of the island, on basalt). Mature pods have been collected in May and June, which suggests flowering occurs during February to March.
Acacia dissimilis is distinguished from other members of the ‘ A. tumida group’ by its lemon-yellow, villous new shoots, pubescent branchlets, phyllodes and pods, long axillary spikes, narrow, coiled, crustaceous pods with small seeds and atypical fruiting times. Phyllode nervature suggest its closest affinities are probably with A. tumida .
Type of accepted name
Amax basecamp, Mitchell Plateau, West Kimberley, W.A., 22 May 1978, K.F.Kenneally 6799 ; holo: PERTH.
Representative collections
W.A.: Site 4, 11 km SSW of Mitchell Falls, K.F.Kenneally 10194 & B.P.M. Hyland (PERTH); Laplace Island, Institut Islands, K.F.Kenneally 11229 (PERTH).
(MWM & BRM)
This species was not included in the Fl. Australia treatment of Acacia .
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.
