Common name: willow wattle
Acacia saliciformis Tindale APNI* Synonyms: Racosperma saliciforme (Tindale) Pedley APNI*
Description: Erect or spreading, often pendulous shrub 3–6 m high; bark smooth, greyish; branchlets angled or flattened, glabrous, sometimes pruinose.
Phyllodes lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, rarely oblanceolate, straight to slightly curved, usually 6–12 cm long and 7–15 mm wide (sometimes to 14 cm long and 20 mm wide), glabrous, with a prominent midvein, obscurely penniveined, apex acute with a straight mucro; 1 small gland 10–40 mm above pulvinus, usually connected to midvein by a fine oblique vein; pulvinus 1–3 mm long.
Inflorescences 5–22 in an axillary raceme; axis 2–8 cm long; peduncles 4–6 mm long, glabrous; heads globose, 35–45-flowered, 4–8 mm diam., pale yellow to creamy white.
Pods straight to slightly curved, ± flat, ± straight-sided or irregularly constricted between seeds, 5–16 cm long, 11–17.5 mm wide, thinly leathery, with inconspicuous transverse veins, glabrous, often slightly pruinose; seeds longitudinal; funicle filiform, short, arilate.
Flowering: usually April–September.
Distribution and occurrence: coastal ranges, Bulga (near Singleton) to Bilpin (northwest of Richmond). A record from Budawang Ra. (ST) requires further investigation. Grows in wet and dry sclerophyll forest, in gravelly, sandy and clay loam soils, on sandstone and shale, often on rocky hillsides, ridges and creek banks.
NSW subdivisions: NC, CC, CT, ?ST
The name refers to its pendulous, willow-like habit. Related to Acacia mabellae which usually has yellow-hairy peduncles.
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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