Acacia subternata F.Muell., J. Proc. Linn. Soc., Bot . 3: 124 (1859)
Erect to semiprostrate, domed, resinous shrub to 1.2 m high, branching from base. Bark smooth or slightly fissured, grey-brown. Branchlets markedly angular, light brown or brown; ridges very prominent, fawn, resin-crenulated. Phyllodes in clusters of 2–6, linear, straight or curved, semiterete to flat, 4–14 mm long, 0.4–0.8 mm wide, thinly coriaceous, glabrous, furrowed; nerves inconspicuous, longitudinal; gland absent or inconspicuous. Capitula 5–9 mm diam., 36–44-flowered, golden. Flowers 5-merous; calyx 1–1.5 mm long, dissected to 1/2–2/3, glabrous; corolla 1.7–2.5 mm long, dissected for 1/3–1/2, the petals striated; ovary glabrous, usually minutely tuberculate, with bulbous yellow cap on summit. Pods narrowly oblanceolate to linear-oblanceolate, basally tapered, flat, straight-sided, 2.7–5.5 cm long, woody, obliquely to almost longitudinally nerved, glabrous, scurfy when old, opening elastically at apex; margins and seed-partitions thick. Seeds oblique, broadly oblong-elliptic, 3.2–4.7 mm long, dark brown; pleurogram with fawn halo; areole closed; funicle-aril narrowly conical.
Occurs in the northern N.T., mostly W of Borroloola between 16S and 1630’S and between 13430’E and 13630’E, also at Victoria R. Grows usually in red, skeletal, sandy loams on sandstone ridges or on quartzite, in eucalypt woodland, often associated with spinifex. Flowers Mar.–Sept.
A member of the ‘ A. stigmatophylla group’ related to A. delicatula . Also similar to Acacia manipularis which differs in its less angular branchlets without prominent resin-crenulated ridges, and longer phyllodes to 3 cm long.
Type of accepted name
Upper Victoria R., Tableland, N Australia, 22–24 July 1856, F.Mueller 73 p.p. ; syn: MEL; Limmen Bight R.; syn: MEL n.v .; Roper R., F.Mueller ; syn: MEL n.v ., PERTH (Fragment ex MEL).
Illustration
F.Mueller, Iconogr. Austral. Acacia dec. 3 [pl. 3] (1887).
Representative collections
N.T.: McArthur R. area, L.A.Craven 4127 (A, BRI, CANB, G, L, NT, PERTH, RSA); 46 miles [c. 74 km] N of Cape Crawford on Borroloola road, B.Maloney 8/75 (CANB, K, NSW); just N of Caranbirini Waterhole Rd to Borroloola, B.Rice 2141 (CANB, NSW).
(NSW)
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.
