Acacia obtusifolia A.Cunn. in B.Field, Geographical Memoirs on New South Wales 345 (1825)
Erect or spreading shrub or tree, 0.5–15 m high. Stipules triangular, less than 0.5 mm long or obscure. Phyllodes linear to narrowly elliptic, 12–25 cm long, 7–23 mm wide, the margins uneven and edged with microscopic granular resin globules, with obtuse apex, coriaceous, dark green, the primary veins prominent, commonly 2–5, the secondary veins parallel, sparingly anastomosing; gland c. 8 mm above base; pulvinus present. Inflorescences with peduncles 5–10 mm long; spikes 3–7 cm long; bracteoles ovate-navicular, c. 0.5 mm long, minutely fringed. Flowers 4-merous, loosely packed, creamy white to pale yellow; sepals united. Pods subcylindrical, linear, mostly straight, 5–15 cm long, 3.5–7 mm wide, crustaceous. Seeds narrowly elliptic, 4.5–6 mm long, shiny; funicle thin, folded c. 4–5 times; aril turbinate.
Widespread in forests and woodlands along the coastal and near-coastal ranges of far south-eastern Qld and north-eastern N.S.W., the central tablelands E of the Great Dividing Ra., central and southern coasts of N.S.W. and far eastern Vic. It often occurs near the margins of rainforests. Usually flowers Nov.–Jan. but fruits irregularly.
Easily distinguished from A. longifolia by the resinous margins of its thicker, less pliable phyllodes. It fruits very rarely and appears to propagate principally by suckering.
Type of accepted name
Blue Mountains, N.S.W., Dec. 1822, A.Cunningham 223 ; holo: K n.v. , fide L.Pedley, Austrobaileya 1: 164 (1978).
Synonymy
Acacia longifolia f. elongata Benth., London J. Bot. 1: 373 (1842); A. longifolia var. obtusifolia (A.Cunn.) Benth. ex Seem., Verh. K. K. Gartenbauges. Wien 1846: 51 (1846); A. longifolia subvar. obtusifolia (A.Cunn.) Domin, Biblioth. Bot. 89: 266 (1926), nom. inval. , as A. longifolia var. typica subvar. obtusifolia ; Racosperma obtusifolium (A.Cunn.) Pedley, Austrobaileya 2: 353 (1987). Type: as for accepted name.
Acacia intertexta Sieber ex DC., Prodr. 2: 454 (1825); A. longifolia f. latifolia Benth., London J. Bot. 1: 373 (1842). Type: New South Wales, 1823, F.W.Sieber 453 ; holo: G-DC n.v. , fide L.Pedley, Austrobaileya 1: 164 (1978); iso: BM, K n.v. , MEL, MO n.v. , NSW, NY n.v. , OXF n.v.
Illustrations
L.F.Costermans, Native Trees Shrubs SE Australia 304 (1981); B.A.Lebler, Wildfl. SE Queensland 2: 15 (1981); T.Tame, Acacias SE Australia 35, pl. 8 (1992).
Representative collections
Qld: Mt Greville, S.L.Everist 7249 (BRI); N.S.W.: Cooyal, 25 km NE of Mudgee, L.Pedley 1625 (BRI, MEL); Comboyne Plateau, I.R.Telford 2313 (CANB); Mt Dromedary, L.G.Adams 506 (BRI, CANB, MEL). Vic.: 20 km N of Murrungowar, NE of Orbost, 29 Dec. 1951, J.H.Willis & N.A.Wakefield s.n. (MEL, NSW).
(ABC)
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.
