Acacia megacephala Maslin, Nuytsia 1: 254; 255, fig. 1 & 259, fig. 4 (1972)
Shrub 1- 2 m high. Branchlets often arching downwards, pubescent to villous. Axillary spines 1 per node, rarely 2, often absent from some nodes. Stipules linear-triangular, 1.5- 4 mm long. Pinnae 1 pair, 4- 6 mm long; petiole c. 1 mm long; pinnules 4- 6 pairs, oblanceolate, 3- 6 mm long, 1.5- 3 mm wide, green to subglaucous, glabrous, smooth; gland within axil of pinnae, stipitate, 3- 4 mm long. Inflorescences simple, 1 or 2 per axil; peduncles 15- 25 mm long, greatly exceeding leaves, glabrous; heads globular, large, 8- 10 mm diam. at anthesis, densely 80- 90-flowered, golden; receptacle capitate. Flowers 5-merous; sepals 4/5-united. Pods linear to narrowly oblong, 2.5- 5 cm long, 4 mm wide, faintly pruinose, glabrous. Seeds longitudinal, oblong, 3- 4 mm long.
Restricted to near Geraldton, south-western W.A. Grows in sand or loam, in mixed scrub and shrubland.
Distinguished from A. pulchella by peduncles 15- 25 mm long, heads 80- 90-flowered and branchlets shortly pilose.
Type of accepted name
19 miles [c. 30 km] E of Geraldton towards Mullewa, W.A., 8 Aug. 1970, B.R.Maslin 676 ; holo: PERTH; iso: K, MEL, NSW, PERTH.
Illustrations
B.R.Maslin, loc. cit. , and Nuytsia 1: 408, fig. 5 & 482, map 1 (1975).
Representative collections
W.A.: Northern Gully, A.M.Ashby 3788 (AD, NSW, NY, PERTH); type locality, B.R.Maslin 682 (AD, BRI, 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.
