Acacia farinosa Lindl., in T.L.Mitchell, Three Exped. Australia 2: 145 (1838)
Mealy Wattle
Rounded shrub 1–2 m high. Branchlets terete with low ridges, glabrous except nodes appressed-puberulous. Phyllodes ascending, oblanceolate to linear-oblanceolate, gently incurved, commonly 2–7 cm long, 2–6 mm wide, with rounded-obtuse apex, callose-mucronulate, rigid, thick and fleshy, appressed-puberulous on pulvinus and blade-base otherwise glabrous, with 2–7 immersed to slightly raised, distant, main nerves and the venules often appearing as irregular, incomplete lines; gland 2–9 mm above pulvinus. Inflorescences simple; peduncles mostly 2–4 mm long, appressed-puberulous; heads globular, 3.5–4 mm diam., 7–17-flowered, golden, subtended by 5 thick, ovate, acute, sterile bracteoles at or near peduncle apex, those in heads peltate-spathulate. Flowers 5-merous; sepals free, white-resinous. Pods linear, curved and twisted, to 6 cm long, mostly 2–3 mm wide, rigid, crustaceous, glabrous. Seeds longitudinal, elliptic, 3.5–4 mm long, black; funicle fleshy; aril small, apical.
Occurs in the Eyre and Yorke Peninsulas, Kangaroo Is. and south-eastern S.A., extending into western Vic. Grows mostly in sand and loam, in shrubland and woodland, often associated with Lerp Mallee ( Eucalyptus incrassata ).
Notes on the unusual inflorescence structure are given in R.S.Cowan & B.R.Maslin, Nuytsia 10: 79 (1995).
Seemingly related to A. dawsonii .
Type of accepted name
interior of New Holland, [near L. Charm, Vic.], 22 June 1836, T.Mitchell ‘189’ ; holo: CGE; iso: K, PERTH (Fragment ex K).
Illustrations
F. Mueller, Iconogr. Austral. Acac . dec. 7 [pl. 7] (1887); L.F.Costermans, Native Trees & Shrubs SE Australia 323 (1981); M.Simmons, Acacias Australia 2: 131 (1988); T.Tame, Acacias SE Australia 78, fig. 64, pl. 64 (1992); D.J.E.Whibley & D.E.Symon, Acacias S. Australia 2nd edn, 211 (1992).
Representative collections
S.A.: just S of Port Rickabey, J.Z.Weber 4030 (PERTH); c. 8 km NE of Port Neill on Lincoln Hwy, D.J.E.Whibley 1964 (PERTH). Vic.: Western Hwy c. 5 km from the S.A. border, 21 Aug. 1957, A.J.Hicks (MEL, 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.
