Acacia vassalii Maslin, Nuytsia 2: 215; 214, fig. 5 & 216, fig. 6 (1978)
Spreading, semi-prostrate shrub to 0.3 m high. Branchlets pubescent. Stipules persistent, setaceous to linear-triangular, 1–2 mm long, joined near base when very young. Phyllodes linear to narrowly oblong, narrowed at base, straight to shallowly sigmoid, planoconvex but normally horizontally flattened upon drying, 4–8 mm long, c. 1 mm wide, shallowly recurved to uncinate, with slender, distinct mucro, sometimes medially sulcate above (dry), glabrous or loosely hairy, nerveless; gland on upper surface near apex of phyllode, often absent. Inflorescences simple, 1 per axil; peduncles 3–5 mm long, glabrous or sparsely puberulous; heads globular, 3–4 mm diam., 12–16-flowered, light golden. Flowers 5-merous; sepals 3/4-united. Pods (dehisced valves) linear, not or scarcely constricted between seeds, openly curved or twisted, to c. 20 mm long, 1–1.5 mm wide. Seeds (aborted) longitudinal.
Restricted to near Wongan Hills and Watheroo, south-western W.A. Gazetted a rare species in W.A. Grows in sand and loam in low scrub. Winter flowering.
Similar to A. ericifolia and A. leptospermoides , both of which have obtuse or barely acute phyllode tips; all three species have small, horizontally flattened phyllodes (i.e. diaphyllodes - see discussion under A. diaphyllodinea for definition and references concerning diaphyllodes). One of the plurinerved taxa, A. brachyphylla var. recurvata , is superficially similar but its phyllodes are minutely villous or only papillose on nerves with 6 strongly raised nerves, its heads with fewer flowers and its pods wider and undulate.
Type of accepted name
Wongan Hills, W.A., Aug. 1935, E.H.Ising; holo: PERTH; iso: K n.v ., PERTH.
Illustrations
B.R.Maslin, loc. cit.
Representative collections
W.A.: NE of Watheroo, E.A.Griffin 7723 (PERTH); Wongan Hills, P.Roberts 91 (PERTH, TLF).
(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.
