Acacia wardellii Tindale, Contr. New South Wales Natl Herb. 4: 139 (1970)
Slender shrub or tree 5–7 m high. Bark smooth, silvery grey or white. Branchlets often pruinose, glabrous. Phyllodes narrowly elliptic, normally falcately recurved, usually 10–17.5 cm long and 1.5–3 cm wide, much narrowed at base, glabrous, with 2 prominent nerves running together and often contiguous with lower margin at base, a lesser third nerve commonly also present, openly reticulate between the nerves; gland at or near distal end of pulvinus commonly elongate, 1–3 additional glands often on triangular projections. Inflorescences racemose; racemes 1–4.5 cm long; peduncles 3–6 mm long, appressed-puberulous, to 8 mm long and often glabrous in fruit; heads globular, 20–35-flowered, pale yellow. Flowers 5-merous; sepals united. Pods to 12 cm long, 4.5–6 mm wide, thinly coriaceous, glabrous. Seeds longitudinal, oblong to elliptic, 5–6 mm long, slightly shiny, black, minutely puncticulate; funicle thickly filiform, 3/4 encircling seed, reddish brown; aril clavate.
Known only from S of Roma, SW of Chinchilla and the Thomby Ra. near Surat, south-eastern Qld. Cultivated to some extent and may have become naturalised in places, fide L.Pedley, Austrobaileya 1: 216 (1978). Grows on shallow weathered sandstone in eucalypt woodland.
A specimen with unusually broad phyllodes, to 9 cm wide, occurs near Chinchilla (e.g. M.D.Tindale 724 & D.Boyland , BRI, NSW) and one with shorter than normal phyllodes, 7–8 cm long, occurs near Roma (e.g. V.J.Nelder & M.B.Thomas 379 , BRI).
Related to A. binervata which is distinguished most readily by its brown to grey bark, non-pruinose branchlets, solitary gland further from pulvinus and never on a triangular projection of the margin, and broader pods. These two species are not far removed from the ‘ A. microbotrya group’. Resembles A. bancroftiorum (especially in habit, large, reticulate-nerved phyllodes with glands often on triangular projections, and seeds with encircling funicles) which is most readily distinguished by its 1-nerved phyllodes.
Type of accepted name
Thomby Ra., SE of Surat, Qld, 24 May 1955, D.M.Gordon 3039 ; holo: NSW; iso: BRI.
Synonymy
Racosperma wardellii (Tindale) Pedley, Austrobaileya 2: 357 (1987). Type: as for accepted name.
Illustration
M.Simmons, Acacias Australia 231 (1981).
Representative collections
Qld: Thomby Ra., D.M.Gordon 177 (BRI, NSW, PERTH); 9.4 km W of entrance to Rockwood Stn, c. 43.2 km SW of Chinchilla, N.Hall H78/80 (NSW, PERTH); 16 km W of Inniscraig HS on road to Megine HS, V.J.Neldner & M.B.Thomas 379 (BRI).
(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.
