Common name: cooba, native willow, willow wattle, Broughton willow
Acacia salicina Lindl. APNI* Synonyms: Racosperma salicinum (Lindl.) Pedley APNI*
Acacia varians Benth. APNI*
Description: Erect or spreading shrub or tree 3–10 m high, sometimes to 20 m, often suckers freely; bark finely fissured, brownish; branchlets pendent, angled or flattened towards apices, usually zigzagged at least towards apices, glabrous.
Phyllodes pendent, narrowly elliptic to narrowly oblanceolate, straight or slightly curved, usually 5–16.5 cm long and 5–12 mm wide, glabrous, midvein prominent, penniveined, apex subacute or obtuse with a mucro; 2–5 small glands along margin; pulvinus 1–3 mm long.
Inflorescences usually 1–8 in an axillary raceme with axis 0.5–6 cm long; peduncles 4–15 mm long, glabrous; heads globose, 15–30-flowered, 7–10 mm diam., pale yellow to ± white.
Pods ± straight or slightly curved, ± flat, straight-sided to irregularly constricted between seeds, 3–12 cm long, 7–13 mm wide, thick, ± woody and slightly longitudinally wrinkled when dry, glabrous; seeds longitudinal; funicle expanded with 2–4 folds towards seed, scarlet to orange.
Flowering: usually February–June.
Distribution and occurrence: west from upper Hunter Valley and Tamworth district. Grows in dry sclerophyll forest, shrubland and woodland in inland regions, mostly along creek banks.
NSW subdivisions: NC, NWS, CWS, SWS, NWP, SWP, NFWP, SFWP
Other Australian states: Qld Vic. S.A. N.T.
The name refers to its pendulous, willow-like (genus Salix) habit. Related to Acacia ligulata, the pods of which readily break into sections between the seeds, and has different bark, usually wider phyllodes and paler flower heads.
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.
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