Acacia iteaphylla F.Muell. ex Benth., Linnaea 26: 617 (1855)
Flinders Range Wattle , Willow-leaved Wattle , Winter Wattle
Bushy, spreading shrub 2–4 m high. Bark green on young plants. Branchlets often ultimately pendulous, angled at extremities, normally pruinose, glabrous. Phyllodes narrowly to broadly linear, sometimes narrowly elliptic, 5–14 cm long, 3.5–8 mm wide, delicately mucronate, with 1–2 mm long and straight or curved mucro, thin, glabrous; midrib rather prominent; lateral nerves absent or obscure; gland not prominent, 1–10 mm above pulvinus. Inflorescences 8–16-headed racemes; raceme axes 2–4 cm long, glabrous, pruinose, frequently growing out, enclosed when young by conspicuous imbricate bracts; peduncles 6–10 mm long, slender, glabrous; heads globular, 12–17-flowered, pale yellow to lemon yellow. Flowers 5-merous; sepals free. Pods normally 6–12 cm long, 6–12 mm wide, thinly coriaceous, commonly pruinose, glabrous. Seeds longitudinal, oblong to elliptic, 5–6.5 mm long, dull, dark brown to black; aril narrow.
Occurs in the Gawler Ra. from Hiltaba Stn to near Cowell and in the Flinders Ra. from Arkaba to Telowie Gorge, also near Port Lincoln, Eyre Penin., S.A. Naturalized in places in southwest W.A., S.A., N.S.W. and Vic. Grows mainly on hills among rocky outcrops or in valleys along rocky creeks. Flowers autumn- winter.
Popular in cultivation with many forms, some having very pendulous branchlets, others more upright, fide W.R.Elliot & D.L.Jones, Encycl. Austral. Pl. 2: 68 (1982).
Similar to A. suaveolens .
Type of accepted name
Arkaba, S.A., F.Mueller ; holo: K; iso: MEL, P.
Illustrations
F. von Mueller, Iconogr. Austral. Acacia dec. 6 (1887); L.F.Costermans, Native Trees & Shrubs SE Australia 320 (1981); M.Simmons, Acacias Australia 143 (1981); D.J.E.Whibley & D.E.Symon, Acacias S. Australia 2nd edn, 117 (1992).
Representative collections
S.A.: Telowie Gorge, Flinders Ra., B.Copley 2917 (AD, NSW); c. 13 km W of Cowell on Cleve- Cowell road, 29 June 1959, T.R.N.Lothian s.n. (AD); Scrubby Peak, 15 May 1967, S.A.Pastoral Board s.n. (AD, 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.
