Acacia dura Benth., Linnaea 26: 622 (1855)
Densely branched, glabrous shrub 0.6–1.6 m high. Branchlets ribbed, sometimes slightly glaucous. Phyllodes erect, narrowly linear, sometimes linear-oblanceolate, often abruptly incurved at gland, compressed to flat, 2.5–4 cm long, 2–3 (- 4) mm wide, obtuse or acute, obscurely mucronulate, thick, rigid, subglaucous, with 6 raised nerves in all, 2-nerved per face; gland distinct, 8–30 mm above pulvinus. Inflorescences simple, 2 per axil; peduncles 3–8 mm long; basal bract caducous, cucullate, c. 2 mm long; heads globular, 3.5–4 mm diam., 6–16-flowered, golden; bracteoles oblanceolate. Flowers 5-merous; sepals free. Pods linear, constricted between seeds, straight to shallowly curved, to 22 mm long, 3 mm wide, thin-crustaceous, glabrous. Seeds longitudinal, narrow elliptic, 2.5 mm long, shiny, tan; aril clavate, extending along one side.
Known only from the Wongan Hills- Piawaning area, c. 120 km due NNE of Perth, south-western W.A. Grows in sand in heath with Melaleuca uncinata.
A member of the ‘ A. sulcata group’, perhaps most closely related to the more southerly distributed A. nitidula and/or A. tetanophylla ; see also A. deflexa and A. gemina . Acacia dura is similar superficially in its phyllodes to A. gonophylla .
Type of accepted name
Swan R., W.A., J.Drummond s.n. ; holo: K; iso: NSW, PERTH (Fragment ex K).
Representative collections
W.A.: between Wongan Hills and Elphin siding, I.B.Armitage 398 (PERTH); 18.5 km NW of Wongan Hills towards Piawaning, R.Coveny 7846 & B.R.Maslin (CANB n.v ., K n.v ., NSW, PERTH, US n.v. ); 4.8 km N of Yerecoin, J.W.Green 1488 (PERTH); Fowlers Gully, Wongan Hills, B.R.Maslin 3806 (CANB, K, NSW, PERTH).
(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.
