Acacia minutifolia F.Muell., Fragm . 8: 243 (1874)
Spreading, resinous shrub, 0.3–1 m high, 1–1.5 m wide. Bark smooth, later longitudinally fissured, pale grey-brown,. Branchlets angular towards apices, with yellow to red-brown upper portions, scurfy, hirsute; ridges not convoluted. Phyllodes fasciculate, usually 3 or 4 together, sigmoid-oblong, compressed, 1.2–3.1 mm long, 0.5–1.1 mm wide, oblique at base, with laterally mucronulate apex, thick, coriaceous; nerves inconspicuous; pulvinus absent or vestigial. Capitula globular, c. 5–9 mm diam., yellow or pale yellow. Flowers 5-merous; calyx 0.9–1.4 mm long, dissected to 1/4–1/2, glabrous; corolla 2.1–3 mm long, dissected to 2/5–3/5, glabrous; ovary glabrous, minutely tuberculate, often capped. Pods linear-oblanceolate, flat, 3–7.5 cm long, 3.5–7.5 mm wide, woody, obliquely striate, papillate, viscid, opening elastically from apex; seed-partitions thick. Seeds oblique, narrowly elliptic-oblong, 3–5 mm long, brown; funicle-aril narrowly conical.
Occurs in W.A. near the N.T. border between 20S and 24oS, and in central western to central southern N.T. Grows in shallow, skeletal, red clay loam on stony lateritic plains and drainage areas, with spinifex and occasional eucalypts. Flowers Apr.–Aug.
A specimen labelled ‘Finke R., South Australia, H.Kempe 1879’ (NSW) would now be referred to the N.T.
Although A. minutifolia has globular inflorescences it is a connecting link between sect. Plurinerves and sect. Juliflorae , being closely allied to A. abbreviata which is possibly a hybrid between A. hilliana and A. minutifolia .
Type of accepted name
Glen of Palms, Macdonells Ra., [N.T.], E.Giles ; holo: MEL.
Illustrations
F.Mueller, Iconogr. Austral. Acacia dec 3 [pl. 6] (1887); B.R.Maslin, in J.Jessop (ed.), Fl. Centr. Australia 117, fig. 157C (1981); M.Simmons, Acacias Australia 1: 73 (1987).
Representative collections
W.A.: 14 miles [22.4] km N of Sandy Blight–Docker R. road junction, J.R.Maconochie 824 (NSW, NT); Walter James Ra., J.R.Maconochie 1386 (NSW, NT). N.T.: 20 km NNE Tanami Mine, P.K.Latz 11833 (DNA, NSW, NT); Tanami Mining Camp, J.R.Maconochie 1101 (NSW, NT); northern foothills of Mt Palmer Ra., 24 July 1966, J.H.Willis & A.Morrison (MEL, NSW).
(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.
