Common name: mountain wattle
Acacia orites Pedley APNI* Synonyms: Racosperma orites (Pedley) Pedley APNI*
Description: Erect or spreading tree 5–30 m high; bark smooth, brownish and/or grey, often mottled; branchlets angled or flattened towards apices, sparsely appressed-hairy.
Phyllodes very narrowly elliptic to linear, straight or slightly curved, 10–20 cm long, 4–7 mm wide, glabrous or with few appressed hairs, 1–3 longitudinal veins more prominent, minor longitudinal veins anastomosing, apex acute with a mucro; 1 minute gland to 8 mm above pulvinus; pulvinus 1–3 mm long.
Inflorescences 2 or rarely 1 in axil of phyllodes; peduncles 2–4 mm long, glabrous; heads cylindrical, 3–6 cm long, pale or creamy yellow; flowers scattered on rachis.
Pods ± straight, ± flat but raised over seeds, barely or slightly constricted between seeds, 5–11 cm long, 3–4 mm wide, papery, with few fine longitudinal ridges, sparsely appressed-hairy or glabrous; seeds longitudinal; funicle folded once or several times and expanded towards seed.
Flowering: August–October.
Distribution and occurrence: chiefly north from Whian Whian State Forest near Lismore, also in Washpool National Park. Grows on the margins of wet sclerophyll forest and rainforest, usually in sandy or basaltic soils.
NSW subdivisions: NC
Other Australian states: Qld
Closely related to Acacia courtii which has densely anastomosing veins, and may be confused with A. floribunda which has has shorter phyllodes and more densely hairy branchlets. The name refers to its mountainous habitat.
Text by P.G. Kodela (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.
|
