Common name: Sweet Wattle
Acacia suaveolens (Sm.) Willd. APNI* Synonyms: Racosperma suaveolens (Sm.) Mart. APNI*
Acacia suaveolens (Sm.) Willd. subsp. myallensis D.A.Morrison & A.Rupp APNI*
Acacia suaveolens (Sm.) Willd. subsp. prostrata D.A.Morrison & A.J.Rupp APNI*
Acacia suaveolens (Sm.) Willd. subsp. montana D.A.Morrison & A.Rupp APNI*
Acacia angustifolia (Jacq.) H.L.Wendl. APNI*
Description: Prostrate to erect shrub 0.3–2.5 m high; bark smooth, purplish brown or light green; branchlets angled or flattened, glabrous.
Phyllodes narrowly oblanceolate or very narrowly elliptic to linear, straight to slightly curved, 5–15 cm long, 2–10 mm wide, glabrous, ± glaucous, midvein prominent, lateral veins obscure or not evident, margins ± prominent, apex acute with a mucro; 1 small gland near base and another normally at mucro; pulvinus 1–2 mm long.
Inflorescences usually 5–10 in an axillary raceme; axis 1–3 cm long; peduncles 1–5 mm long, glabrous; before opening raceme enclosed in imbricate bracts c. 5 mm long; heads globose, 3–10-flowered, 4–7 mm diam., pale yellow to ± white.
Pods ± straight, ± flat, ± straight-sided, 2–5 cm long, 8–19 mm wide, thinly leathery to brittle, glabrous, pruinose; margins prominent; seeds transverse; funicle expanded towards seed.
Flowering: Flowers April–September.
Distribution and occurrence: Occurs west to Mount Victoria. Grows in heath and dry sclerophyll forest or woodland, in sandy soil; chiefly on the coast.
NSW subdivisions: NC, CC, SC, CT, ST
Other Australian states: Qld Vic. Tas. S.A.
The name alludes to the sweet scent of the flowers. Similar to the South Australian species A. iteaphylla which is a more bushy shrub and has the seeds longitudionally placed in the pod. Several subspecies are recognized in Morrison & Rupp (1995).
Text by P.G. Kodela
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.
|
