Common name: hickory wattle, sally, sickle wattle
Acacia falcata Willd. APNI* Synonyms: Racosperma falcatum (Willd.) Mart. APNI*
Mimosa obliqua J.C.Wendl., nom. illeg. APNI*
Mimosa obliqua Pers., nom. illeg. APNI*
Description: Erect or spreading tree or shrub 2–5 m high; bark smooth or finely fissured or sometimes deeply fissured, grey to black, sometimes mottled; branchlets angled or flattened, glabrous.
Phyllodes narrowly elliptic to oblanceolate, ± falcate, 7–19 cm long, 9–40 mm wide, glabrous, grey-green to glaucous, sometimes green, with a prominent midvein, finely and usually obscurely penniveined, apex obtuse to subacute; 1 inconspicuous gland near base; pulvinus 2–6 mm long.
Inflorescences c. 6–20 in racemes, or sometimes in panicles; axis 1–7 cm long; peduncles 3–4 mm long, ± appressed-hairy; heads globose, 12–20-flowered, 3–4.5 diam., pale yellow to cream-coloured.
Pods straight to slightly curved, ± flat, mostly straight-sided to barely constricted between seeds, 4.5–12 cm long, 5–8 mm wide, thinly leathery, glabrous, often ± pruinose; seeds longitudinal; funicle expanded towards seed.
Flowering: April–August.
Distribution and occurrence: north from Bermagui and west to Denman and Murrurundi. Grows in sclerophyll forest, mainly in coastal divisions.
NSW subdivisions: NC, CC, SC, NT, ?CT, CWS
Other Australian states: Qld
Similar to Acacia pycnantha which has a central midvein, and darker and larger flower heads. The name refers to the curved (falcate) shape of the phyllodes.
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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