Acacia pinguiculosa R.S.Cowan & Maslin, Nuytsia 12: 429 (1999)
Densely branching shrub normally rounded and 0.3–1 m high. Branchlets glabrous, occasionally appressed-puberulous. Phyllodes ascending to erect, linear or obovate to oblanceolate-oblong, substraight to shallowly incurved, terete to flat, 10–30 mm long, 1–7.5 mm wide, rounded-obtuse, fleshy, smooth (fresh), finely to coarsely wrinkled when dry, glabrous, 1–3 (–5) nerves per face (when flat), or 6–8-nerved (when terete). Inflorescences simple, 1 or 2 per axil; peduncles mostly 5–10 mm long, glabrous, occasionally sparsely appressed-puberulous; basal bract often persistent, ovate; heads globular, 3–6 mm diam. (dry), subdensely 10–17-flowered, golden, resinous; buds subacute to apiculate. Flowers 5-merous; sepals 2/3–3/4-united; petals prominently 1-nerved. Pods narrowly oblong to linear, slightly curved, biconvex to flat, to 4 cm long, 2–5 mm wide, coriaceous to crustaceous, glabrous. Seeds longitudinal, widely elliptic to elliptic, 2.5–3.5 mm long, mottled; aril apical.
Extending from vicinity of Frank Hann Natl Park S to near Ravensthorpe and E to Cape Le Grand and Mt Burdett, southern W.A. Grows in loam, clay or sand, in shrub mallee, low scrub or heath.
Perhaps related to A. sulcata which has different phyllode venation, cucullate basal peduncular bracts, free sepals and undulate pods. Acacia brachyphylla , a near-relative in the A. sulcata group, also has united sepals but villous, mucronate phyllodes.
Occurs in W.A. as two subspecies.
Phyllodes flat, (3–) 4–7.5 mm wide. Pods 4–5 mm wide
subsp. pinguiculosa
Phyllodes terete, 1–1.5 mm wide. Pods 2–3.5 mm wide
subsp. teretifolia
Acacia pinguiculosa R.S.Cowan & Maslin subsp. pinguiculosa
Phyllodes obovate to oblong-oblanceolate, flat, (3–) 4–7.5 mm wide, rounded-obtuse, with 1–3 (–5) main nerves per face. Pods smooth, coriaceous.
Known only from the Ravensthorpe area and Ravensthorpe Ra., southern W.A. Grows in loam, clay or laterite, on low hills, with Eucalyptus tetraptera or Allocasuarina humilis in dense scrub, commonly in association with granite.
Type of accepted name
Ravensthorpe Ra. near Kundip, about 18 km S of Ravensthorpe township, W.A., 31 Aug. 1980, B.R.Maslin 4784 ; holo: PERTH; iso: CANB, K, MEL, NY.
Representative collections
W.A.: 7.4 km S of Ravensthorpe towards Hopetoun, B.R.Maslin 3896 (BM, BRI, G, K, NSW, PERTH); 33.5 km E of Ravensthorpe towards Esperance, B.R.Maslin 3913 (PERTH); Ravensthorpe Ra., 3 km NE of Kundip, K.Newbey 9691 (PERTH).
Acacia pinguiculosa subsp. teretifolia R.S.Cowan & Maslin, Nuytsia 12: 431 (1999)
Phyllodes terete or nearly so, 1–1.5 mm wide, 6- or 8-nerved, imperfect nerves sometimes present. Pods longitudinally wrinkled (when dry), crustaceous.
Extending from vicinity of Frank Hann Natl Park S to near Ravensthorpe and E to Cape Le Grand and Mt Burdett, W.A. Grows in sand, gravelly or loamy sand, loam and clay, commonly on lower slopes of hills or around their base, on or in association with granite in open mallee shrubland, heath and dwarf scrub.
Future study may require recognition of the two subspecies as distinct species but our present knowledge of the group does not justify that course.
Superficially resembles A. arcuatilis , A. nivea and A. obesa .
Type of accepted name
Cape Le Grand, c. 25 km SE of Esperance, W.A., 7 Oct. 1966, P.G.Wilson 5557 ; holo: PERTH; iso: CANB, K, MEL.
Representative collections
W.A.: Mt Burdett, M.A.Burgman 3280 & C.Layman (PERTH); Frank Hann Natl Park, D.Monk 322 (PERTH); 13 km S of Mt Glasse, Bremer Ra., K.Newbey 5389 (BM, PERTH); 6 km from Munglinup along road to Ravensthorpe, A.Strid 21154 (CANB, K, MEL, NSW, NY, PERTH, Z).
(RSC & BRM)