Acacia incongesta R.S.Cowan & Maslin, Nuytsia 10: 48 (1995)
Peak Charles Wattle
Rounded shrub 0.6- 4 m high. Branchlets glabrous or glabrescent. Phyllodes ascending to erect, narrowly elliptic, incurved, 4- 7 cm long, 3- 4.5 mm wide, acute, sharply to coarsely pungent, semi-rigid, at first appressed-puberulous on central nerve and marginal nerves (sometimes persistent on central nerve), with 3 distant, raised nerves, the central nerve more strongly raised and the marginal nerves thickened. Inflorescences simple, 2 per axil; peduncles 1- 3 mm long, puberulous; spikes 15- 25 mm long, 3- 4.5 mm diam., subdensely flowered, cream. Flowers 4-merous; sepals free; petals partly united. Pods pendent, linear, strongly raised over and slightly constricted between seeds, curved, to 10.5 cm long, 4 mm wide, thin-coriaceous, glabrous. Seeds longitudinal, broadly elliptic, 3- 4 mm long, subglossy, black; areole c. 1/3 seed length; funicle/aril apical.
Restricted to Peak Charles Natl Park (c. 100 km due SW of Norseman), south-western W.A. Grows on lower granitic mountain slopes and sandy clay flats, locally frequent in patches in heath.
Most similar in overall appearance to the southern element of the typical subspecies of A. neurophylla which differs by its 5- 7-nerved phyllodes, densely flowered, golden spikes and free petals.
Type of accepted name
Peak Charles, W.A., 10 Apr. 1971, A.S.George 10621 ; holo: PERTH; iso: CANB.
Representative collection
W.A.: Peak Charles, K.Newbey 6310 (CANB, PERTH).
(RSC)