Acacia humifusa A.Cunn. ex Benth., London J. Bot . 1: 382 (1842)
Spreading, sometimes almost prostrate, resinous shrub to 3 m high, to 6 m wide. Bark fissured or rarely smooth, grey or brownish grey. Branchlets terete, light fawn to dark brown, velvety, tomentose or hirsute. Phyllodes asymmetrical, obliquely ovate-rhomboid to suborbicular, 4–8 cm long, 20–60 mm wide, sometimes with a setose point at apex, coriaceous, tomentose mainly along nerves and margins, with 3 or sometimes 4 prominent, curved nerves joining the upper margin at different, slightly indented points, the lowest nerve concurrent with lower margin for several mm and terminating at or just below apiculate phyllode apex, the minor nerves strongly reticulate; gland 1, basal, prominent. Spikes 1–3 cm long, golden. Flowers 5- or 6-merous; calyx 0.7–2 mm long, dissected to 1/3–1/2, hirsute, sometimes glabrous near base; ovary densely pubescent. Pods linear, slightly constricted between and raised over seeds, often curved, 3.7–7.5 cm long, 3–5 mm wide, crustaceous, velvety-hairy, breaking into 1-seeded portions. Seeds longitudinal, broadly oblong-to narrowly oblong-elliptic, 4.3–6 cm long, blackish brown; areole open, elongate, depressed.
Occurs in the Kimberleys, W.A., on the offshore islands in the Gulf of Carpentaria and on the N.T. mainland N of 16S, also from Cape York to Cape Cleveland, Qld, along the east coast and offshore islands, Qld. Grows in sand, in heath, low Acacia woodland and along the sea shore, on hillsides or above gorges on shallow rocky soil in eucalypt woodland, in sandstone, granite or quartzite. Flowers Feb.–Sept.
Sometimes confused with A. dimidiata which has glabrous corollas, inconspicious bracteoles and longer spikes. There are also some similarities with A. pellita .
Type of accepted name
Cape Cleveland, Qld, June 1819, A.Cunningham 320 ; syn: K; isosyn: BM n.v. ; North Coast, F.Bauer ; syn: n.v.
Synonymy
Racosperma humifusum (A.Cunn. ex Benth.) Pedley, Austrobaileya 2: 350 (1987). Type: as for accepted name.
Acacia dimidiata var. eriostachya F.Muell., J. Proc. Linn. Soc., Bot. 3: 145 (1859). Type: Victoria R., N.T., F.Mueller 77 ; ?holo: MEL.
Illustrations
M.Simmons, Acacias Australia 1: 251 (1987); J.Brock, Top End Native Pl. 64 (1988); C.R.Dunlop, G.J.Leach & I.D.Cowie, Fl. Darwin Region 2: 12, fig. 5 (1995); K.A.W.Williams, Native Pl. Queensland 4: 23 (1999).
Representative collections
W.A.: Mt Broome, W.V.Fitzgerald 833 (NSW). N.T.: Wessel Is., P.K.Latz 3343 (NSW, NT); Magela Ck, M.Lazarides 9175 (CANB, NSW); 20 km NW of Bauhinia Downs Stn, G.Leach 563 (NSW, NT). Qld: 42.2 km WNW of Lakeland Downs, R.G.Coveny 6993 & P.Hind (BRI, CANB, K, MEL, NSW, QRS, US); 30 km N of Mt Surprise turnoff, A.N.Rodd 4485 & M.Hardie (B, BRI, MEL, MO, NSW, RSA).
(NSW)
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.
