Acacia erinacea Benth., London J. Bot . 1: 360 (1842)
Rigid, intricate, spreading, glabrous shrub commonly 0.3–1 m high, sometimes forming prostrate mats or reaching 2 m high. Branches dividing into short, patent, divaricate, whitish scurfy, finely ribbed, spinose, often aphyllous branchlets. New shoots red to red-brown. Phyllodes mostly ascending to erect, obliquely oblong to oblong-elliptic or oblong-oblanceolate, 5–12 mm long, 2–4 mm wide, acute to obtuse, excentrically mucronate, grey-green to glaucous, sometimes whitish scurfy; midrib obscure; lateral nerves absent or obscure. Inflorescences rudimentary racemes with axes <0.5 mm long; peduncles 4–12 mm long, often red to red-brown; heads globular, 12–22-flowered, golden; bracteoles c. 0.5 mm long. Flowers 5-merous, sometimes 4-merous; sepals united into a very short cup. Pods oblong to narrowly oblong, slightly biconvex, straight, usually 1–3 cm long and 7–10 mm wide, usually crustaceous, without internal partitions. Seeds oblique, 3.5–4 mm long, oblong-ovate to widely elliptic, one side often flattened, shiny, dark brown; aril subterminal.
Widespread from Kalbarri Natl Park S to Broomehill and E to Eucla, south-western W.A., extending just into the extreme SW of S.A. Grows in clay, sandy clay, sand, laterite, gravel and loam, in open eucalypt woodland, mallee woodland and sandplain scrub, on hills and on flatlands.
A variant with thinly coriaceous pods 3–5 cm long, 4–7 mm wide and variably constricted between seeds occurs intermittently in south-western W.A., especially in the Kalgoorlie region (e.g. 4.8 km S of Siberia, B.R.Maslin 1919 , PERTH). In flower this variant seems indistinguishable from typical A. erinacea .
Sometimes confused with A. improcera , A. jacksonioides or A. spinosissima . Also similar to A. deficiens and superficially similar to A. kochii . The prostrate forms may superficially resemble A. intricata .
Type of accepted name
Swan R., W.A., J.Drummond s.n .; holo: K; ?iso: MEL.
Synonymy
Acacia erinacea var. microphylla E.Pritz., Bot. Jahrb. Syst . 35: 299 (1904). Type: Tammin, W.A., 24 Oct. 1901, L.Diels 5012 ; syn: PERTH (Fragment ex B); near Kalgoorlie and Coolgardie, W.A., W.V.Fitzgerald , [L.C.] Webster ; syn: n.v .
Illustrations
F. von Mueller, Iconogr. Austral. Acacia dec. 4 [pl. 4] (1887); M.Simmons, Acacias Australia 2: 23 & pl. 9 (1988); D.J.E.Whibley & D.E.Symon, Acacias S. Australia 2nd edn, 57 (1992).
Representative collections
W.A.: 27.2 km N of Clyde Hill, M.A.Burgman 1814 & S.McNee (PERTH); Swan R., J.Drummond (?2:) 163 (C, CGE, G, K, LUND, MEL, OXF, P); 8 km S of Cocklebiddy, A.S.George 11825 (PERTH, TLF); 16 km S of Cunderdin towards Quairading, B.R.Maslin 212 (PERTH). S.A.: 16.16 km E of S.A.–W.A. State border [on Eyre Hwy], R.J.Chinnock 3350 (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.
