Acacia obovata Benth., London J. Bot. 1: 329 (1842)
Shrub 0.3–0.6 (- 1) m high, multistemmed from a woody rootstock; stems slender. Branchlets puberulous to hirsutellous, the hairs commonly tubercule-based, sometimes glabrous. Stipules narrowly triangular, 1.5–4 mm long. Phyllodes elliptic to broadly elliptic or obovate, 1.5–5 cm long, 1–2.5 cm wide, undulate, obtuse-mucronate to acute, sometimes pungent, green, with indumentum as on branchlets; midrib and marginal nerves prominent; lateral nerves obvious, openly anastomosing; gland 3–11 mm above base, slightly raised. Inflorescences normally 1-headed rudimentary racemes with axes <1 mm long; peduncles 1–2 cm long, glabrous; heads globular, loosely 5–9-flowered, pale yellow to white, often drying orange; buds acute to apiculate. Flowers 4-merous; sepals 3/4-united. Pods linear, spirally twisted at least when young, to 11 cm long, 5–6 mm wide, coriaceous-crustaceous to subwoody, glabrous; margins thick. Seeds presumably longitudinal, oblong-elliptic, 4 mm long, glossy, dark brown; aril terminal.
Scattered in south-western W.A. occurring E of Jurien Bay in the Gairdner Ra., in the Darling Ra. E of Perth S to near Collie, also the Whicher Ra. W to Yallingup and S to near Augusta. Grows in laterite soil, normally in Jarrah ( Eucalyptus marginata )- Marri ( Corymbia calophylla ) forest, around Mt Peron it occurs in low open heath.
Specimens with largest phyllodes and tallest habit occur in the Jurien Bay district.
A member of the ‘ A. myrtifolia group’ seemingly related to A. pygmaea which has glabrous branchlets and phyllodes, shallowly triangular stipules c. 0.5 mm long, phyllodes with few and obscure lateral nerves, 3- or 4-flowered heads, and narrowly oblong pods to 3 cm long and 3–4 mm wide, see B.R.Maslin, Nuytsia 10: 101 (1995), for further details. Other dwarf members of this group include A. nervosa and A. pygmaea
Type of accepted name
Cape Leeuwin [sphalm. ‘Lewin’], W.A., Collie ; holo: K.
Synonymy
Acacia obovata var. minor Meisn., in J.G.C.Lehmann, Pl. Preiss. 1: 8 (1844). Type: Greenmountain [Greenmount, E of Guildford, 31 54’S, 116 03’E], W.A., 26 Apr. 1840, L.Preiss 931 ; lecto: NY, fide B.R.Maslin & R.S.Cowan, Nuytsia 9: 410 (1994); isolecto: C, LD, M, MEL, MO, NAP, P, RO.
Representative collections
W.A.: 20 km E of Alexander Bridge on Brockman Hwy, B.R.Maslin 1684a (AD, NSW, PERTH); Mt Peron, near Cockleshell Gully, B.R.Maslin 3727 (CANB, K, MEL, PERTH, TLF); Darling Ra., E.Pritzel 296 (BM, K, M, MO, NSW, P, Z).
(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.
