Acacia subflexuosa Maiden, J. & Proc. Roy. Soc. New South Wales 53: 178; pl. 10, fig. 23 & pl. 11, figs 1–6 (1920)
Rounded shrub 0.3–1 m high. Branchlets terete, nerveless, puberulous or appressed-puberulous, sometimes glabrescent. Stipules persistent, 1–2 mm long. Phyllodes commonly widely spreading, irregularly and shallowly to strongly curved or sigmoid, terete to almost flat, 3.5–7 cm long, 1–2 mm diam., commonly with curved-mucronate to subuncinate tip, puberulous or glabrous, with 8 distant, strongly raised nerves with distinct furrows inbetween, 3-nerved per face when flat; gland 2–6 mm above pulvinus; pulvinus smooth and slightly flared at base. Inflorescences simple, 2 per axil; peduncles 2–6 mm long, puberulous to glabrous; heads globular, 3.5–4 mm diam., 15–22-flowered, golden; bracteoles slightly exserted in buds. Flowers 5-merous; sepals free. Pods linear to submoniliform, raised over seeds, curved, to 8 cm long, 2–2.5 mm wide, firmly chartaceous, subnitid, sparsely puberulous or glabrous. Seeds longitudinal, broadly elliptic, 2.5 mm long, dull, brown, often obscurely mottled; aril crested.
As pointed out earlier by J.H.Maiden, loc. cit ., the type of this species was included by G.Bentham, Fl. Austral . 2: 337 (1864) in his A. triptycha , and was the source of his description of the phyllode of A. triptycha as ‘flexuose’.
Closely related to A. leptoneura which differs largely by having twice as many phyllode nerves. If populations of A. leptoneura can be located, the question of whether or not the two elements are distinct species can be answered. Also closely related to A. consanguinea .
Occurs as two subspecies, both of which occur within 120 km NE and SE of Perth, from Toodyay E to Cunderdin S to Dryandra, south-western W.A.
Branchlets and peduncles with (often sparse) minute appressed hairs. Phyllodes glabrous except appressed hairy at base
subsp. subflexuosa
Branchlets and peduncles with dense, spreading, short hairs, phyllodes with sparse to moderately dense spreading hairs
subsp. capillata
Acacia subflexuosa Maiden subsp. subflexuosa
Branchlets minutely appressed-puberulous, glabrescent. Phyllodes glabrous except base sometimes sparsely appressed-puberulous; pulvinus appressed-puberulous adaxially. Peduncles 2–5 mm long, sub-glabrous to sparsely appressed-puberulous.
Occurs between Toodyay and Dryandra State Forest with disjunct occurrences near Lake King, W.A. Grows in gravelly loam and gravel, usually on lateritic hills and ridges or sometimes associated with granite outcrops, in scrub and shrubland.
Type of accepted name
South-western area of W.A., 1849, J.Drummond 5: 5 ; holo: NSW; iso: ?BM, CGE, K, MEL, P, PERTH, W.
Synonymy
[ Acacia triptycha auct., non F.Muell. ex Benth.: Fl. Austral. 2: 337 (1864), not as to lectotype but as to J.Drummond 4: 132 and 5: 5 ].
Illustrations
J.H.Maiden, J. & Proc. Roy. Soc. New South Wales 53: pl. 10, fig. 23 & pl. 11, figs 1–6 (1920).
Representative collections
W.A.: Baanga Hill, c. 16 km SE of Lake King townsite, B.R.Maslin 6320 (CANB, K, MEL, PERTH); Dryandra State Forest, D.Rose 190 (CANB, PERTH); Goonaring Springs, c. 20 km SW of Toodyay, late Nov. 1986, B.Rowley (PERTH).
Acacia subflexuosa subsp. capillata R.S.Cowan & Maslin, Nuytsia 12: 443 (1999)
Branchlets densely puberulous with patent hairs. Phyllodes sparsely to moderately puberulous with patent hairs. Peduncles 3–6 mm long, densely puberulous with patent hairs.
Known only from a single population S of Cunderdin, W.A. Grows in laterite and sand in scrub.
Type of accepted name
S of Cunderdin [precise locality withheld for conservation reasons], W.A., 13 Sept. 1982, B.H.Smith 101 ; holo: PERTH; iso: MEL.
Representative collection
W.A.: type locality, Nov. 1982, B.Smith s.n. (PERTH).
(RSC)
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.
