Acacia paraneura Randell, J. Adelaide Bot. Gard . 14: 116 (1992)
Weeping Mulga
Tree to c.10m tall, with often pendulous foliage. Branchlets white appressed-pubescent between resinous ribs; new growth reddish. Phyllodes straight or somewhat flexuose, terete, rarely flat, 7–20 cm or more long, 0.8–1.2 mm wide, finely striate with longitudinal nerves, with somewhat loose silvery appressed hairs between them, glabrescent, often bent about gland to 2 cm from base. Inflorescences usually single in axils; peduncles 6–12 mm long, red-glandular, pubescent; spikes 10–25 mm long. Flowers 5-merous; sepals spathulate, 0.8–1 mm long, free or united in basal ring, with red-glandular and hyaline hiars towards tips; corolla 1.5–1.8 mm long usually less than twice as long as calyx; stamens c. 3 mm long; ovary with white curled hairs, occasionally only in upper half. Pods not stipitate, oblong, flat, straight, to 6 cm long, 8–15 mm wide, with wings 1–2 mm wide, rather crustaceous, brown, with scattered appressed hairs at maturity. Seeds oblique to transverse, oblong, c. 5 mm long, 2.5–3 mm wide; aril conspicuous, terminal, cupular, greyish.
Ranging from the Pilbara region, W.A. through the southern part of N.T. and north-eastern S.A., with outliers in central Qld, about 150 km WSW of Longreach. Habitat data are poor, but the species is recorded from sandy and gravelly soils along streams and outwashes from hills.
Probably most closely related to terete-phylloded variants of A. aneura , particularly A. aneura var. macrocarpa . The combination of long, usually terete phyllodes, the large, winged pods and the length of the calyx in relation to the corolla distinguishes the species. The weeping habit does not appear to be constant for the species. One of the specimens cited in the protologue of A. aneura var. conifera ( Maslin 2273a ) is A. paraneura . A specimen collected by McDougal Stuart (1859) was cited by Mueller as A. aneura ( Fragm. 4: 8, 1863).
Type of accepted name
18 km from Wongawol HS towards Carniegie on Gunbarrel Hwy, W.A., 6 Sept. 1984, B.R.Maslin 5627; holo: PERTH; iso: BRI, MEL.
Representative collections
W.A.: Little Sandy Desert, A.S.Mitchell 919 (NT, PERTH); c. 2 km NE of Pass of Abercerrages, A.C.Kalotas 1632 (CANB, NT, PERTH). N.T.: Tarlton Downs Stn, 5 km NW of Halfway Bore, P.K.Latz 12595 (AD, DNA, MEL, NT). S.A.: Tallaringa Rd, 6 July 1967, S.A. Pastoral Board (AD).Qld: Valetta Dry Paddock, A.J.Emmott 430 (BRI).
(LP)
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.
