Acacia nyssophylla F.Muell., Fragm. 4: 4 (1863)
Dense, intricate shrub, rarely a tree, 0.6–3 m high. Branchlets appressed-puberulous (at least at nodes), glabrescent, scarred where phyllodes have fallen. Phyllodes sessile, inserted on distinct, yellow stem-projections, patent to inclined, straight to shallowly curved, subterete to compressed, mostly 15–35 mm long and 1.5 mm wide, pungent, rigid, dull, glabrous or glabrescent, with 20 rather close, plane, somewhat obscure nerves, with stomata evident; gland mostly 2–7 mm above base. Inflorescences simple, commonly 2 per axil; peduncles 3–10.5 mm long, glabrous or sparsely appressed-puberulous; heads globular, rarely ellipsoid, 3.5–6 mm diam., 12–19-flowered, golden. Flowers 5-merous; sepals commonly free, sometimes to 1/2-united. Pods linear, slightly constricted between seeds, arcuate to once-coiled, 3–6.5 cm long, 2–5 mm wide, firm-chartaceous, longitudinally venose, sparsely appressed-puberulous to glabrous. Seeds longitudinal, lanceolate-oblong or oblong-elliptic, 4–5 mm long, glossy, black; aril large, yellow or orange.
Widely distributed from near Geraldton in south-western W.A., E through S.A., to near Meringur in extreme north-western Vic., N to near Alice Springs, N.T., and mainly in Bourke area of N.S.W. Grows commonly in open scrub or low woodland in loamy soils.
Most closely related to A. colletioides which is most readily distinguished by its phyllodes having 8 widely spaced nerves and the phyllode gland basal. Superficially similar to A. enterocarpa .
Type of accepted name
In the Desert on the River Murray, Victoria, F. Mueller s.n. ; lecto: MEL500592, fide R.S.Cowan & B.R.Maslin, Nuytsia 12: 465 (1999); isolecto: K, PERTH-(Fragment ex MEL); Lake Gairdner, S.A., B.H.Babbage ; paralecto: MEL, PERTH (Fragment ex MEL).
Synonymy
Acacia colletioides var. nyssophylla (F.Muell.) Benth., Fl. Austral. 2: 326 (1864). Type: as for accepted name.
Acacia nyssophylla F.Muell., Pl. Victoria 2: 9 (1863), nom. inval. (not effectively published, fide A.B.Court et al. , Nuytsia 9: 315- 318 (1994).
Acacia periculosa S.Moore, J. Linn. Soc., Bot . 45: 171 (1920). Type: Nungarin, W.A., 1917, F.Stoward 753 ; holo: BM.
Illustrations
B.R.Maslin, in J.P.Jessop (ed.), Fl. Central Australia 119, fig. 158D (1981); T.Tame, Acacias SE Australia 94, fig. 85, pl. 85 (1992); D.J.E.Whibley & D.E.Symon, Acacias S. Australia 2nd edn, 197 (1992); M.Simmons, Acacias Australia 2: 33 (1988).
Representative collections
W.A.: 4.8 km E of Southern Cross on Great Eastern Hwy, B.R.Maslin 1829 (CANB, MEL, PERTH). N.T.: near Claraville, 95 km NE of Alice Springs, 7 Sept. 1930, J.B.Cleland (AD). S.A.: Chowilla Stn, c. 24 km NNE of Renmark, J.R.Wheeler 437 (PERTH). N.S.W.: Belvedere Stn, J.W.Laurie 1837 (PERTH). Vic.: 21 km E of Morkalla, A.C.Beauglehole 56216 (MEL).
(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.
