Acacia robinae Maslin, Nuytsia 2: 292; 293, fig. 10 & 329, fig. 23 (1978)
Robin’s Wattle
Spreading, open shrub to 0.6 m high. Branchlets sparsely to moderately shortly pilose and/or antrorsely puberulous. Stipules 1.5–2.5 mm long, persistent bases pungent. Phyllodes inequilateral, obdeltate to shallowly obtriangular with a prominent gland-bearing angle on adaxial margin, with adaxial proximal margin convex and contiguous with branchlet and adaxial distal margin concave, 3–8 mm long, 3–8 mm wide, pungent, glabrous; midrib near abaxial margin. Inflorescences simple, 1 per axil; peduncles 1–3 mm long, glabrous or subglabrous; heads globular, 2-flowered, white; buds attenuate. Flowers 4-merous; sepals 1/2–2/3-united, the lobes broadly triangular; petals narrowed and prominently 1-nerved at apices. Pods narrowly oblong, shallowly curved, to 6 cm long, 3–4 mm wide, coriaceous-crustaceous, glabrous; margins thick. Seeds longitudinal, oblong, 2.5–3 mm long, glossy, dark brown; aril terminal.
Restricted to the Albany- Mt Manypeaks area with a disjunct occurrence at Mt Arid, south-west W.A. Grows in sand over laterite in Jarrah ( Eucalyptus marginata ) woodland, in seasonal swamps and, at Mt Manypeaks and Mt Arid, in loam over granite.
A member of the ‘ A. biflora group’ resembling A. divergens in phyllodes but readily distinguished by 2-flowered heads. Both A. robinae and A. biflora occur around Albany and as noted by B.R.Maslin, Nuytsia 2: 295 (1978), it is probable that Robert Brown had in mind both species when describing A. biflora . Acacia biflora is distingished by its obscurely 3–7-nerved petals, abruptly acute flower buds (narrowly ovoid to cylindrical in A. robinae ) and phyllodes with a minor nerve extending from the pulvinus towards the gland; see B.R. Maslin, op. cit. 291, for additional distinguishing features. Specimens from the Fitzgerald R. Natl Park combine phyllodes of A. biflora with flowers of A. robinae .
Type of accepted name
Mt Manypeaks, W.A., 5 Sept. 1935, C.A.Gardner 3324 ; holo: PERTH; iso: BM, CANB, K, NSW, PERTH.
Synonymy
[ Acacia biflora auct. non R.Br.: G.Bentham, in S.F.L.Endlicher et al ., Enum. Pl . 41 (1837); L.Diels & E.Pritzel, Bot. Jahrb. Syst . 35: 635 (1905)—as to E.Pritzel 356 (B, BM, E, G, K, L, LY, NSW, PR)]
Illustration
B.R.Maslin, Nuytsia 2: 293, fig. 10 (1978).
Representative collections
W.A.: Mt Arid, G.J.Keighery 7645 (PERTH); Marbellup, c. 15 km W of Albany, B.R.Maslin 3781 & 3781A (MEL, NY, PERTH); Lower Kalgan R., R.D.Royce 3725 (NSW, 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.
