Acacia harpophylla F.Muell. ex Benth.
| Family Fabaceae
Subfamily Mimosoideae
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Common name: brigalow, brigalow spearwood, orkor
Acacia harpophylla F.Muell. ex Benth. APNI* Synonyms: Racosperma harpophyllum (F.Muell. ex Benth.) Pedley APNI*
Description: Erect or spreading tree usually 5–20 m high; suckers extensively, particularly following disturbance; bark furrowed, flaky to fibrous, grey or brown; branchlets angled at extremities, minutely appressed-hairy to glabrous.
Phyllodes narrowly elliptic, subfalcate or falcate, 10–20 cm long, 7–20 mm wide (rarely to 25 mm wide), leathery, glabrous to finely hairy, silvery grey, longitudinal veins numerous, closely spaced, 3–7 more prominent, apex acute or subacute; 1 gland at base; pulvinus 2–6 mm long.
Inflorescences 3–8 on an axillary axis 2–10 mm long; peduncles 10–20 mm long, minutely appressed-hairy; heads globose, 15–30-flowered, 4–8 mm diam., bright yellow to ± white.
Pods straight to slightly curved, raised over seeds and slightly or irregularly more deeply constricted between them, 3–11 cm long, 7–9 mm wide, firmly papery to thinly leathery, longitudinally veined, sparsely hairy to glabrous; seeds longitudinal; funicle filiform.
Flowering: July– October.
Distribution and occurrence: west to Hungerford, north from Roto and east to near Willow Tree. Frequently forms dense scrubs, and sometimes low forests, also as scattered clumps in open box and Myall communities, generally in clay loam soils.
NSW subdivisions: NWS, CWS, NWP, SWP
Other Australian states: Qld
The name alludes to the curved (falcate) shape of the phyllodes.
Text by P.G. Kodela (last updated June 2012)
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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