Acacia ericksoniae Maslin, Nuytsia 12: 343–344 (1999)
Much-branched, spreading shrub 0.2–0.6 m high. Branchlets slender, straight, patent to erect, often spinescent, hirsutellous to hirtellous, with hairs sometimes stellate. Phyllodes inequilaterally obtriangular, with upper margin forming a prominent rounded angle and lower margin shallowly convex, 2–5 mm long, 1.5–4 mm wide, ending in a short, mucronate or sometimes pungent point, slightly thickened, hirsutellous to hirtellous, obscurely 1- or 2-nerved with main nerve near abaxial margin. Inflorescences rudimentary 1-headed racemes with axes <0.5 mm long; peduncles 2–5 mm long, sparsely to moderately hirsutellous to hirtellous; basal bracts 2, persistent; heads globular, 3–4 mm diam., 10–17-flowered, golden. Flowers 5-merous; sepals 1/3–2/3-united, 1/4–1/3 length of petals; petals nerveless, glabrous. Pods closely coiled, to c. 8 mm long (unexpanded), 2–2.5 mm wide, firmly chartaceous to thinly coriaceous, red-brown, glabrous or hirtellous. Seeds longitudinal, 2–3 mm long, brown mottled black; aril oblique, thick.
Discontinuous, occurring from near Mingenew SE to near Three Springs, also from near Watheroo (c. 100 km due S of Three Springs) SSE to near Tammin, also occuring at the Chiddarcooping Nature Reserve (c. 260 km due E of Watheroo), south-western W.A. Grows in often stony or lateritic loam, sometimes in sand, in Melaleuca heath and eucalypt woodland, on low rocky hills.
Specimens from Yerecoin- Walebing area (near New Norcia) are unusual in their seemingly stellate branchlet and phyllode indumentum (hairs simple elsewhere). Phyllodes are slightly smaller on specimens in the east of the range compared with those from the west, fide B.R.Maslin, loc. cit .
Formerly confused with A. bidentata which has non-spinescent, scurfy-white branchlets, creamy white to pale yellow heads, arcuate to 1 1/2-coiled pods and non-mottled seeds. Similar to broad phyllode forms of A. acanthoclada which has glabrous peduncles and 1-nerved petals. Also similar to W.A. forms of A. pravifolia which is distinguished by its normally glabrous peduncles and non-mottled seeds.
Type of accepted name
5.5 km NW of Wongan Hills towards Piawaning, W.A., 27 Aug. 1976, B.R.Maslin 4202 ; holo: PERTH; iso: CANB, K, MEL, NY.
Synonymy
[ Acacia bidentata auct. non Benth.: E.G.Pritzel, Bot. Jahrb. Syst . 35: 298 (1904), as to E.Pritzel 563 , K, LY, M, MO, NSW]
Representative collections
W.A.: Swan R., J.Drummond s.n. (K) and 158 (BM, G, K, LUND, MEL, OXF, P); 11 km N of Three Springs on The Midlands Rd, B.R.Maslin 5489 (CANB, PERTH); Chiddarcooping Nature Reserve, B.R.Maslin 6386 (PERTH, Z); 3.2 km S of Tammin, K.Newbey 1951 (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.
