Acacia hubbardiana Pedley, Contr. Queensland Herb. 4: 2 (1969)
Yellow Prickly Moses
Spreading shrub to 2 m high. Branchlets puberulous, sometimes subglabrous. Phyllodes dimidiate, 5–10 mm long, 3–8 mm wide, broadest near or below middle, pungent, glabrous, the markedly rounded adaxial margin slightly angled at the gland and with its proximal edge parallel to branchlet, the abaxial margin straight,; midrib curved and intersecting adaxial margin below the cusp; marginal nerves prominent. Inflorescences mostly simple within axils of reduced phyllodes at ends of branchlets, sometimes forming axillary racemes to c. 3 cm long; peduncles 1 per axil, 5–12 mm long, glabrous or sparsely puberulous; heads globular, 15–20-flowered, creamy yellow. Flowers 5-merous; sepals united. Pods stipitate, oblong to narrowly oblong, raised over seeds alternately on each side, to 5 cm long, 1–1.5 cm wide, thinly coriaceous, glabrous. Seeds transverse, c. 4.5 mm long.
Coastal fringe of south-eastern Qld from Bundaberg S to near Brisbane. On coastal lowlands it often grows in poorly drained sand in open forest or heath associated with swamps, it also occurs on rocky slopes above about 150 m alt. on peaks of the Glasshouse Mtns.
According to L.Pedley, Austrobaileya 1: 237 (1980), the mountain plants have oblong phyllodes which are abruptly narrowed to short points and although these can be consistently distinguished on herbarium sheets they are not considered worthy of formal rank.
Acacia hubbardiana is not closely related to A. pravifolia or A. amblygona even though their phyllodes are sometimes superficially similar. Its most important differences are seen in its phyllode venation and carpological features, also, in its ebracteate-based peduncles and stipitate bracteoles.
Type of accepted name
Brisbane R., Qld, W.Hill & F.Mueller ; holo: MEL n.v. , fide L.Pedley, Contr. Queensland Herb. 4: 2 (1969) & Austrobaileya 1: 237 (1980); iso: NSW.
Synonymy
Acacia hubbardiana is based on the following: Acacia plagiophylla F.Muell., J. Proc. Linn. Soc., Bot. 3: 131 (1859), non Spreng. (1826); Racosperma hubbardianum (Pedley) Pedley, Austrobaileya 2: 350 (1987). Type: as for accepted name.
Acacia undulifolia var. humilis Benth., Fl. Austral. 2: 356 (1864) p.p. , not as to lectotype, as to the Mueller and Leichhardt syntypes, fide L. Pedley, Austrobaileya 1: 237 (1980).
Illustrations
F. von Mueller, Iconogr. Austral. Acacia dec. 4 (1887), as A. plagiophylla ; E.R.Rotherham et al. , Fl. & Pl. New South Wales & S Queensland 75 (1975); B.A.Lebler, Wildfl. SE Queensland 2: 45 (1981).
Representative collections
Qld: Wallum area near Coonarr, 32 km S of Bundaberg, 18 Aug. 1980, V.Hando s.n. (PERTH); Beerburrum, V.K.Moriarty 453 (BRI).
(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.
