Acacia urophylla Benth., in J.Lindley, Edwards’ Bot. Reg. 27: Misc. 24 (1841)
Pointed leaved Acacia , Tail-leaved Acacia
Shrub to 3 m high, normally glabrous. Branchlets prominently yellow-ribbed. Stipules 2–8 mm long, indurate, pungent. Phyllodes obliquely lanceolate to ovate, with adaxial margin crenulate and normally more convex than abaxial margin, normally 5–11 cm long and 1–4 cm wide, narrowed at base, slightly undulate, acuminate, thin, prominently reticulate between the 2–4 prominent longitudinal nerves per face; gland 5–10 above pulvinus. Inflorescences normally 2–5-headed racemes, normally 2 per node; raceme axes normally <1–2 mm long; peduncles often apppearing fasciculate, 5–14 mm long, slender; heads globular, subloosely 8–12-flowered, pale yellow or white. Flowers 4-merous; sepals c. 2/3-united. Pods narrowly linear, twisted, to c. 14 cm long, 2–4 mm wide, coriaceous to crustaceous or subwoody, black; margins thick and pale coloured. Seeds longitudinal, 3–4 mm long, oblong-elliptic, glossy, dark brown; aril terminal.
Occurs from S of New Norcia S to Augusta and E to near Walpole, also in the Porongurup Ra., south-western W.A. It is especially common in the Karri ( Eucalyptus diversicolor ) forest from near Walpole to Pemberton where it commonly forms dense regrowth populations following fire. Further N it is less common and occurs as disjunct populations along creeks in Jarrah ( E. marginata ) woodland or forest.
Most closely related to A. scalpelliformis with which it is sometimes sympatric. Despite its unusual phyllode nervation, A. urophylla is related to the ‘ A. myrtifolia group’ as evidenced especially by its 4-merous flowers and by carpological features. Seedling studies by J.Vassal, Bull. Soc. Hist. Nat . Toulouse 108: 125–247 (1972), showed that these two species, plus other phyllodinous and bipinnate taxa were related, and consequently were accommodated in sect. Pulchelloidea .
Some field workers have suggested that A. scalpelliformis might be a hybrid between A. urophylla and A. divergens .
Type of accepted name
‘Raised from Swan River seeds by Messrs. Luscombe, Prince, and Co. of Exeter.’; ?holo: CGE, flowering specimen annotated ‘A. urophylla’ by Lindley, otherwise without details.
Synonymy
Acacia smilacifolia Fielding & Gardner (as ‘smilicifolia’), Sert. Pl. 1: t. 3 (1843). Type: Swan R., J.Drummond 282 ; holo: OXF; iso: P, G, W.
Acacia urophylla var. glaberrima Hook., Bot. Mag. 77: t. 4573 (1851). Type: ‘The plant was raised from seeds sent in 1843, by Mr. Drummond, from the Swan River Colony. It flowers in January and February.’; ?holo: K, a glabrous specimen annotated by W.J.Hooker ‘Cult. in Herb. Kew, Sw. R.’; it is unlikely that the illustration in the protologue was drawn from this specimen.
Illustrations
W.J.Hooker, loc. cit. ; H.B.Fielding & G.Gardner, loc. cit. ; J.E.Planchon, Fl. Serres Jard. Eur . 7: 67 t. 668 (1851- 52); M.Simmons, Acacias Australia 2: 137 (1988).
Representative collections
W.A.: 7.9 km from Northcliffe towards Pemberton, E.M.Canning WA/68 6480 (PERTH); western end of the Porongurup Ra., R.H.Kuchel 1990 (PERTH); 1.6 km S of Augusta township, B.R.Maslin 1689 (K, MEL, NSW, PERTH); 116 km N of Perth on Geraldton Hwy, R.Melville 4090 (P); Darling Ra., E. Pritzel 323 (B, M, MO, NSW, P, W, Z).
(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.
