Acacia neurophylla W.Fitzg., J. Western Australia Nat. Hist. Soc. 1: 13 (1904)
Erect or low spreading shrub or sometimes small tree 0.5- 5 m high. Branchlets ribbed, glabrous. Phyllodes erect, narrowly oblong-elliptic, straight to shallowly incurved, 4.5- 18.5 cm long, 3.5- 13 mm wide, acute, innocuous to coarsely pungent, occasionally sharply pungent, rigid, glabrous, with 5- 7 distant, raised, equally prominent nerves or central nerve and 2 laterals more raised; pulvinus 1- 5 mm long, cylindrical or tapered to dilated base, rugose or smooth, glabrous to minutely puberulous. Inflorescences simple, 2- 4 per axil; peduncles 0- 5 mm long, glabrous or puberulous; spikes rarely obloid, 1- 5 cm long, 5- 6 mm diam., densely congested, golden. Flowers 4-merous; sepals free to 1/3-united; petals free. Pods linear, strongly raised over seeds on alternate sides, straight, to 8 cm long, 2.5- 6 mm wide, thin-coriaceous, glabrous. Seeds longitudinal, broadly elliptic to ovate or nearly circular, 2.5- 3.5 mm long, glossy, dark brown or black; funicle/aril subapical.
Occurs from Cooloomia HS (c. 90 km N of Kalbarri) SE to Norseman- Moir Rock area (Moir Rock is c. 60 km SSW of Norseman), south-western W.A.
Acacia neurophylla is comprised of two subspecies; the typical one is rather variable and may in fact include more than one taxon. Further study, both in the field and laboratory, may be rewarding.
Pulvinus cylindrical or scarcely flared at base, strongly wrinkled transversely, glabrescent, 1- 2 (- 3.5) mm long; phyllodes commonly 4.5- 9 cm long, with the nerves equally prominent; flower-heads 1- 3 cm long, sessile, rarely with peduncles to 2 mm long
subsp. neurophylla
Pulvinus strongly flared at base, smooth or scarcely transversely wrinkled, glabrous, 3- 5 mm long; phyllodes commonly 10- 18.5 cm long and with central nerve and two laterals more strongly raised than secondary nerves; flower-heads 2- 5 cm long on peduncles mostly 3- 5 mm long
subsp. erugata
Acacia neurophylla W.Fitzg. subsp. neurophylla
Diffuse, low spreading, domed or flat-topped shrub 0.5- 2 m high. Stipules triangular. Phyllodes 4.5- 13 cm long, with 5- 7 equally prominent nerves; pulvinus 1- 2 (- 3.5) mm long, cylindrical to slightly flared basally, strongly rugose transversely, minutely puberulous with red resin-hairs. Flower-heads normally cylindrical, rarely obloid in southern variant, 1- 3 cm long, sessile or rarely with glabrous or appressed-puberulous peduncles to 2 mm long.
Disjunct, occurring from near Morawa SE to Cunderdin, with a southern variant occurring near Beacon (which is c. 55 km NE of Koorda) and from Lake Johnston area (which is c. 100 km W of Norseman) E to Norseman and Moir Rock, W.A. Northern populations grow in sand and laterite, and southern populations grow in sandy loam, often near granite, in scrub and shrubland.
The variation in the typical subspecies suggests that there are two poorly defined populations, neither of which we consider worth recognising formally, see R.S.Cowan & B.R.Maslin, Nuytsia 10: 50 (1995), for further discussion.
Similar to A. incongesta .
Type of accepted name
Cunderdin, W.A., Aug. 1903, W.V.Fitzgerald s.n .; lecto (flowering specimen): NSW, fide B.R.Maslin & R.S.Cowan, Nuytsia 9: 391 (1994); isolecto: NSW, PERTH; Cunderdin, W.A., Nov. 1903, W.V.Fitzgerald s.n. ; paralecto (fruiting specimens): NSW, PERTH.
Representative collections
W.A.: Swan R. Colony, J.Drummond 16 (G, OXF, P, PERTH); 8 km E of Coorow towards Latham, B.R.Maslin 94 (PERTH): Moir Rock, c. 60 km due SW of Norseman, B.R.Maslin 2488 (CANB, NY, PERTH), S variant; Manners Valley, 15 km SE of Morawa, B.R.Maslin 6592 (PERTH); McDermid Rock, c. 100 km of Norseman. K.Newbey 5263 (PERTH), S variant.
Acacia neurophylla subsp. erugata R.S.Cowan & Maslin, Nuytsia 10: 51 (1995)
Erect shrub or sometimes small tree 1- 5 m high. Stipules oblong-lanceolate. Phyllodes normally 10- 18.5 cm long, commonly with 3 more prominent nerves and 4 finer and less raised ones; pulvinus 3- 5 mm long, flared at base, erugose to slightly rugose transversely, glabrous. Flower-heads 2- 5 cm long on glabrous peduncles mostly 3- 5 mm long.
Occurs from Cooloomia HS SE to Kondinin and Bulla Bulling (c. 30 km E of Coolgardie), W.A. Grows mainly in yellow sand and laterite, in scrub and shrubland.
Subspecies erugata is much like the typical one which has short, cylindrical pulvini, equally prominent nerves and generally sessile spikes, although puberulous peduncles to 2 mm have been seen.
Type of accepted name
18.5 miles [29.6 km E] of Carnamah on road to Bunjil, W.A., 9 Aug. 1970, B.R.Maslin 737 : holo: PERTH; iso: AD, BRI, CANB; distributed as A. neurophylla .
Representative collections
W.A.: 49 km SW of Coolgardie towards Southern Cross, E.M.Canning WA/68 2459 (PERTH); Coolomia Nature Reserve, S.D.Hopper 1397 (PERTH); 0.8 km N of Ballidu towards Pithara, B.R.Maslin 1656 (MEL, NSW, PERTH); 11.3 km N of Bendering, K.Newbey 3239 (PERTH).
(RSC)
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.
