Acacia quadrisulcata F.Muell., Fragm . 3: 127 (1863)
Spreading, much-branched shrub 0.4–1 m high. Branchlets with minute, straight or antrorsely curved hairs, glabrescent. Stipules scarious, triangular, c. 1 mm long. Phyllodes patent, quadrangular in section, 7–20 mm, c. 1 mm wide, pungent, rigid, green, glabrous or subglabrous, 4-nerved, sulcate between the nerves; pulvinus dilated at base. Inflorescences simple, mostly 1 per axil; peduncles 5–10 mm long, glabrous; heads globular, 15–20-flowered, ?light golden (filaments orange-brown when dry). Flowers 5-merous; sepals free; petals 1-nerved, sparingly and obscurely penninerved. Pods linear, subterete, to 5 cm long, 4 mm wide, woody, glabrous; margins broad, yellow. Seeds longitudinal, ovate to oblong, c. 3 mm long, turgid, mottled; aril oblique.
Occurs in Kalbarri Natl Park and N to Meadow Stn, c. 120 km N of the Murchison R. and North West Coastal Hwy crossing, south-western W.A. Grows in deep sand, sometimes over limestone, in heath or shrubland.
Readily distinguished from the quadrangular phyllode variant of A. auronitens which has usually densely pubescent to hirsute branchlets, 2- 4 mm long and frequently spinose stipules, and ascending to erect phyllodes. May superficially resemble A. sphacelata subsp. sphacelata and A. tetragonophylla , but distinguished by 4-nerved phyllodes and woody pods with broad margins. Also similar to A. cavealis .
Type of accepted name
Sandplain on the Murchison R., W.A., A.Oldfield s.n .; syn: NSW; Murchison R., W.A., A.Oldfield s.n. ; syn: BM, MEL, PERTH.
Illustration
F. von Mueller, Iconogr. Austral. Acacia dec. 1 (1887).
Representative collections
W.A.: Kalbarri Natl Park, c. 1 km SE of Junga Dam, S.D.Hopper 1296 (PERTH); c. 45 km S of Overlander Roadhouse, North West Coastal Hwy, B.R.Maslin 3151 (BM, PERTH).
(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.
