Acacia divergens Benth., London J. Bot . 1: 331 (1842)
Diffuse shrub to 2.3 m high; terminal branches commonly long, undivided and arching downwards. Branchlets finely yellow-ribbed, glabrous to shortly pilose or antrorsely puberulous. Stipules often spinose, 2–4 mm long, slender. Phyllodes patent, inequilateral, shallowly obdeltate to shallowly obtriangular with a prominent gland-bearing angle on adaxial margin, with adaxial proximal margin commonly convex and contiguous with branchlet and adaxial distal margin concave, 6–10 mm long, 3–8 mm wide, acuminate, pungent, normally glabrous; midrib prominent and near abaxial margin. Inflorescences simple, 1 per axil; peduncles 3.5–10 mm long, slender, glabrous or sparsely puberulous; heads globular, 5–10-flowered, cream to pale yellow; buds obtuse. Flowers 4-merous; sepals c. 3/4-united; petals obscurely 1-nerved. Pods linear, curved, commonly twisted, to 7 cm long, 2–3 mm wide, thinly coriaceous-crustaceous, glabrous. Seeds longitudinal, oblong, 2.5–3 mm long, glossy, brown, arillate.
Discontinuous from the Moora- Wongan Hills area S to Augusta and Denmark, and E to the Stirling Ra., south-western W.A. Often grows near swamps and creeks but occurs also on drier sites in loamy laterite in Jarrah ( Eucalyptus marginata ) forest and, near Augusta, in sand over limestone in coastal heath.
A member of the ‘ A. biflora group’ with phyllodes closely resembling those of A. robinae . Acacia divergens is the tallest member of the group and is distinguished by a combination of the following characters: heads 5–10-flowered and cream to pale yellow, peduncles 3.5–10 mm long, petals 1–1.7 mm long and obscurely 1-nerved, flower buds obtuse. See B.R.Maslin, Nuytsia 2: 302 (1978), for further details.
Some field workers have suggested that A. scalpelliformis might be a hybrid between A. urophylla and A. divergens .
Type of accepted name
Vasse R., W.A., Mrs Molloy ; holo: K; iso: CGE.
Synonymy
Acacia divergens var. hirsuta Domin, Vestn. Kral. Ceske Spolecn. Nauk, Tr. Mat.-Prir . 2: 44 (1923). Type: Yallingup and Cape Naturaliste, W.A., 1910, A.A.Dorrien-Smith ; holo: K (sphalm. ‘Acacia decipiens v. hirsuta’).
Acacia divergens f. pauciflora Domin, loc. cit. , nom. nud.
Illustrations
B.R.Maslin, Nuytsia 2: 301, fig. 12 (1978); M.Simmons, Acacias Australia 2: 63 & pl. 6 (1988).
Representative collections
W.A.: 8 km S of Walebing, June 1932, W.E.Blackall s.n . (PERTH); Swan R., J.Drummond 2: 159 (BM, CGE, E, G, G-DC, K, LUND, MEL, NSW, OXF, P, PERTH); Stirling Ra., Chester Pass, B.R.Maslin 3769 (CANB, PERTH); 8.5 km S of Witchcliffe on Bussel Hwy, B.R.Maslin 3792 (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.
