Acacia lirellata Maslin & A.R.Chapm., Nuytsia 12: 480 (1999)
Dense, low-spreading shrub to 1.5 m high. Branchlets substraight to flexuose, glabrous or minutely appressed-puberulous, ribbed. Phyllodes erect, terete or flat and narrowly linear, curved to circinnate or serpentinous, 3– 13 cm long, 0.8- 2 (–3) mm wide, acute, thick, glabrous, prominently 8-nerved in all, 3-nerved per face when flat, the nerves resinous, commonly of unequal width and (when phyllodes terete) separated by deep, longitudinal furrows; pulvinus c. 1 mm long or phyllodes epulvinate and decurrent. Inflorescences simple, 2 per axil; heads sessile, subglobular to obloid, rarely cylindrical, 5– 7 (–15) mm long, 4– 6 mm diam., golden; bracteoles acute to acuminate or obtuse, very dark brown. Flowers 4-merous; sepals united into shallowly lobed calyx. Pods moniliform or submoniliform, straight or loosely coiled, flat, to 7 cm long, 2– 3 mm wide, firmly crustaceous or thinly coriaceous, antrorsely strigulose; margins broad. Seeds longitudinal, oblong-elliptic, 2.5– 3 mm long, glossy, dark brown; aril terminal, yellowish.
Scattered localities in the wheatbelt between Coorow and Ballidu S to Bruce Rock and Waterbidden Rock, W.A. Comprises two subspecies.
Most similar to A. cochlocarpa which has tightly coiled pods and phyllodes normally with more nerves per face. Related also to A. tetraneura .
Phyllodes decurrent, terete to quadrangular (occasionally subflat), 0.8– 1.5 mm wide, epulvinate; bracteoles obtuse
subsp. lirellata
Phyllodes not decurrent, flat, 1.5– 2 (–3) mm wide, shortly pulvinate; bracteoles acute to acuminate
subsp. compressa
Acacia lirellata Maslin & A.R.Chapm. subsp. lirellata
Phyllodes sessile, decurrent, terete to quadrangular in section, occasionally subflat, strongly curved to circinnate or serpentinous, 5– 13 cm long, 0.8– 1.5 mm wide, 8-nerved. Bracteoles obtuse. Pods submoniliform.
Discontinuous in the wheatbelt from the Coorow- Watheroo area, and c. 180 km SE to the Northam– Quairading area, W.A.. Grows in red sandy loam, loam, sand, clayey sand and gravel, in heath and remnant roadside vegetation.
Terete phyllode forms of A. tetraneura could be confused with subsp. lirellata . Acacia tetraneura is most readily distinguished by its 4-nerved, non-decurrent phyllodes and conspicuous bracteoles. Also related to A. aprica and A. arcuatilis but distinguished from both by its decurrent, deeply furrowed phyllodes.
Type of accepted name
2 km E of Quairading towards Bruce Rock, W.A., 12 June 1976, B.R.Maslin 4163 ; holo: PERTH; iso: CANB, K, NY.
Representative collections
W.A.: c. 19 km S of Coorow on Midlands Rd, C.Chapman 3 (BRI, CANB, MEL, NSW, PERTH); 17.7 km N of Watheroo, R.T.Lange 2 (PERTH); 3.2 km W of Quairading on the road to York, B.R.Maslin 489 (CANB, K, MEL, PERTH).
Acacia lirellata subsp. compressa Maslin & A.R.Chapm., Nuytsia 12: 482 (1999)
Phyllodes not decurrent, narrowly linear, flat, occasionally compressed, shallowly to strongly incurved, 3– 7 cm long, 1.5– 2 (–3) mm wide, 3-nerved per face, the central nerve more prominent than the others; shortly pulvinate. Bracteoles acute to acuminate. Pods moniliform.
Discontinuous in the wheatbelt about Ballidu and c. 180 km SE from Bruce Rock to Waterbidden Rock, c. 80 km E of Bruce Rock, W.A. Grows in yellow loam, sand, sandy loam and loamy clay, in open low scrub and heath.
Superficially resembles A. cochlocarpa subsp. velutinosa .
Type of accepted name
c. 3 miles [5 km] N of Bruce Rock towards Merredin, W.A., 4 Aug. 1971, B.R. Maslin 1773 ; holo: PERTH; iso: CANB, G, K, NY.
Representative collections
W.A.: Muntadgin, E.T.Bailey 54 (PERTH) and 643 (PERTH); c. 5 km N of Bruce Rock towards Merredin, B.R.Maslin 1776 (CANB, K, MEL, NSW, PERTH); 1 km due S of Ballidu, P.Roberts 323 (PERTH); 5.7 km E of Bruce Rock towards Wogarl, J.G.Simmons & M.H.Simmons 1300 (PERTH).
(ARC & 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.
