Common name: Barrier Range wattle
Acacia beckleri subsp. beckleri Tindale APNI* Synonyms: Racosperma beckleri (Tindale) Pedley APNI*
Description: Decumbent shrub 1–3 m high; branchlets ± terete, reddish brown, often pruinose, mostly glabrous.
Phyllodes oblanceolate to narrowly elliptic, straight or slightly curved, 6–18 cm long, 6–20 mm wide, thick, leathery, glabrous, midvein and marginal veins prominent, lateral veins usually obscure, apex acute to obtuse, 2–5 glands along margin; pulvinus 2–6 mm long.
Inflorescences 2–9 in an axillary raceme (occasionally with some simple in axils); axis 1–6 cm long, sometimes shorter; peduncles (1-) 4–7 (-8) mm long, stout (1–2 mm wide), wrinkled when dry, minutely hairy; heads globose, c. 50–70-flowered, 8–12 mm diam., bright yellow.
Pods ± straight, ± flat, mostly straight-sided to barely and irregularly more deeply constricted between seeds, 5–13 cm long, mostly 5–6 mm wide, firmly papery to thinly leathery, glabrous; seeds longitudinal; funicle expanded towards seed.
Flowering: June–August.
Distribution and occurrence: White Cliffs to Broken Hill region and Manara Hills northwest of Ivanhoe; uncommon. Grows in dry sclerophyll forest, woodland and shrubland, often on rocky outcrops.
NSW subdivisions: ?CWS, ?NWP, ?SWP, NFWP, SFWP
Other Australian states: S.A.
Acacia beckleri is superficially similar to A. notabilis which has shorter and wider phyllodes and to A. gladiiformis. There are doubtful records from the Dubbo (CWS) and Cobar (NWP) areas which were probably cultivated or naturalised; there is a single uncertain record from Jerilderie (SWP). A. beckleri subsp. megaspherica O'Leary (from the Flinders Ranges, S.A.) has larger flower heads (74-140 flowers per head) and thicker peduncles (2-4 mm wide).
Text by P.G. Kodela (last updated Apr 2012)
Taxon concept:
| The single subspecies in NSW. |
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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