Acacia piligera A.Cunn., Bot. Mag . 62: subt. 3394 (1835)
Obconical, open shrub to 1.5–2 m high; branches erect or curving upwards. Branchlets rarely slightly pruinose; glabrous or sparsely hairy. Phyllodes widely spreading and rotated to 45–75 (–90) from branchlet or sometimes coplanar, broadly elliptic or sometimes orbicular to broadly obovate, 12–16 (–22) mm long, 6–12 (–15) mm wide, l:w = 1.2–2, with oblique, obtuse or less often acute base, margin normally slightly undulate, with obtuse (mucro uncinate), sometimes acuminate or acute apex, grey-green to green, sparsely hairy, sometimes glabrous; gland mostly inserted to 3 mm above pulvinus. Inflorescences with patent or inclined peduncles, (6–) 7–11 (– 16) mm long, longer than floral phyllodes, 0.4–0.6 mm diam., sparsely hairy or glabrous; heads (7–) 8–9 mm diam., 20–32-flowered, yellow to deep yellow. Corolla glabrous or with few hairs. Pods oblong, mostly curved, 35–80 mm long, 16–20 mm wide, firmly coriaceous, dull dark brown; margin usually undulate, sometimes markedly so.
Occurring in N.S.W. from the Upper Hunter Valley southwards towards the Hunter Ra., usually on well-drained stony sandy loams derived from Narrabeen sandstones, in various woodland types, as well as in cleared and disturbed areas.
This is the most morphologically variable species in the ‘ A. uncinata group’. In some areas of the Hunter Valley, notably in the Lees Pinch, Merriwa-Gungal and Coxs Gap areas, it is sympatric with A. sertiformis . It may be separated from the latter by its lack of glaucous branchlets and obtuse but not truncate or cordate phyllode bases, and the generally more erect habit, and from all other species in the group by the yellow to dark yellow flowers. Some specimens suggest that hybridisation may occur between this species and A. sertiformis , particularly in the Lees Pinch area. Acacia piligera is both parapatric and sympatric with A. undulifolia , another member of the ‘ A. uncinata group’.
Type of accepted name
‘N.S. Wales. Cunningham Acacia setigera C. May 1825 [with the following added at a latter date: " piligera C. in Bot. Mag. 3394"]’, ‘An ornamental shrub 6–8 feet high on sandstone ridges on the Western branches of Hunter’s River—flowering in April & May’, May 1825, Cunningham 100 (ex herb. Hookerianum); lecto: K (upper specimen); isolecto: ‘Acacia setigera’ ‘100 [in red ink]’, ‘C. mss. vidi’, ‘Ornaml. shrub 6–8 ft high on sandstone ridges on the W. Branches of Hunter’s R. Apr.—May’ (ex herb. Hookerianum, K—lower specimen); BM, fide B.J.Conn & T.Tame, Austral. Syst. Bot. 9: 842 (1996).
Synonymy
Acacia setigera A.Cunn. ex Hook., Icon. Pl. 2: t. 166 (1837), non Hook., Icon . Pl. 4: t. 316 (1841) [= A. riceana Hensl.], nom. illeg .; A. undulifolia A.Cunn. ex G.Don var. setigera (A.Cunn. ex Hook.) Maiden, Forest Fl . N.S.W. 6: 71 (1914); A. undulifolia C.Fraser ex G.Lodd. var. piligera (A.Cunn.) J.F.Macbr., Contr. Gray Herb . 3 (59): 9 (1919). Type: as for accepted name.
Representative collections
N.S.W.: Scone-Bunnan road, 5.1 km E of Bunnan-Muswellbrook road, B.J.Conn 3810 & T.M.Tame (NSW); 2 km W of Bunnan-Muswellbrook road, on Yarraman Rd, B.J.Conn 3811 & T.M.Tame (NSW); 5.7 km N of Wollar-Bylong road, B.J.Conn 3829 & T.M.Tame (NSW); 5.7 km E of Hollydene, Denman–Sandy Hollow road, T.M.Tame 3798 (NSW); Coxs Gap, Brogedah, NW of Muswellbrook, T.M.Tame 3808 (NSW).
(BJC &TMT)
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.
