Common name: boomerang wattle
Acacia amoena H.L.Wendl. APNI* Synonyms: Racosperma amoenum (H.L.Wendl.) Pedley APNI*
Description: Erect or spreading shrub 0.5–3 m high; branchlets angled at extremities, soon terete and ridged, reddish brown, glabrous.
Phyllodes usually ± oblanceolate to elliptic, straight or sometimes slightly curved, mostly 3–7.5 cm long (range: 2–8.5 cm long) and 5–12 mm wide (sometimes up to 16 mm wide), leathery, glabrous, with a prominent midvein, indistinctly penniveined, apex acute or subacute with a mucro; 2–4 prominent glands along margin; pulvinus 1–2.5 mm long.
Inflorescences mostly 5–21 in an axillary raceme; axis 1–6 cm long (often with some racemes < 1 cm with 2–4 heads); peduncles 1–6 mm long, glabrous; heads globose, 6–12-flowered, 3–5 mm diam., yellow to bright yellow or sometimes pale yellow.
Pods straight or variably curved, ± flat, slightly and sometimes irregularly more deeply constricted between seeds, 4–12 cm long, 4–6.5 mm wide, firmly papery to thinly leathery, ± smooth, glabrous; seeds longitudinal; funicle encircling seed in a single or sometimes double fold, arilate.
Flowering: July–October, December.
Distribution and occurrence: chiefly on the ranges, west to Wellington district. Grows in dry sclerophyll forest and woodland, often in rocky sites.
NSW subdivisions: CC, NT, CT, ST, CWS
Other Australian states: Qld Vic.
Plants with longer phyllodes may resemble Acacia hakeoides and it can also resemble A. chalkeri with which it may occur, however, both of these species have heads with more flowers. The name means lovely.
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.
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