Common name: White Sally Wattle, Gossamer Wattle
Acacia floribunda (Vent.) Willd. APNI* Synonyms: Racosperma floribundum (Vent.) Pedley APNI*
Description: Erect or spreading shrub or tree 3–8 m high; bark smooth, grey with paler mottles or horizontal streaks, sometimes becoming rough; branchlets angled towards apices, densely hairy with appressed to erect hairs to glabrous, with lenticels.
Phyllodes narrowly elliptic to linear, straight or slightly curved, usually 5–15 cm long and 2–10 mm wide, glabrous or with appressed hairs (the hairs often remaining concentrated near base), 1–4 longitudinal veins more prominent, minor longitudinal veins sparsely to moderately anastomosing (best seen with a hand lens), apex acute; glands absent or 1 inconspicuous gland at base; pulvinus 0.5–2.5 mm long.
Inflorescences 2 in axil of phyllodes; peduncles 1–3 mm long, hairy or glabrous; heads cylindrical, 3–8 cm long, pale yellow to ± white; flowers scattered on rachis.
Pods straight to strongly curved, raised over and constricted between seeds, mostly 6–12 cm long, 2–5 mm wide, firmly papery, longitudinally ridged, appressed-hairy to glabrous; seeds longitudinal; funicle short and expanded into an aril.
Flowering: Flowers usually June–September.
Distribution and occurrence: From the Coast, extending westward to the Rylstone area. Grows mainly in coastal sclerophyll communities, often in sandy alluvial soil and along watercourses.
NSW subdivisions: NC, CC, SC, NT, CT, ST, CWS
Other Australian states: Qld Vic. *W.A.
The name refers to its floriferous nature. A rather variable species particularly in phyllode width and hairyness. May be confused with A. longissima, which has longer and narrower glabrous phyllodes and A. maidenii, which usually has yellowish-hairy peduncles. Commonly cultivated.
Text by P.G. Kodela & T. Tame (August 2005)
Taxon concept: P.G. Kodela & G.J. Harden, Flora of NSW Vol. 2 (2002)
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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