Common name: frosty wattle
Acacia pruinosa A.Cunn. ex Benth. APNI* Synonyms: Racosperma pruinosum (A.Cunn. ex Benth.) Pedley APNI*
Acacia spectabilis var. stuartii Benth. APNI*
Description: Spreading shrub or tree 1–6 m high; bark smooth; branchlets terete, glabrous, pruinose.
Leaves with petiole mostly 2–6.5 cm long, glabrous, with 1 prominent elongated gland near the middle or near base of lowermost pair of pinnae; rachis usually 1.5–7.5 cm long, glabrous, with 1 jugary gland at base of all or some pairs of pinnae, interjugary glands absent; pinnae 1–5 pairs (usually 2–4 pairs), 3–9 cm long; pinnules 7–20 pairs, ± oblong to narrowly oblong, mostly 8–17 mm long and 2.5–5 mm wide, glabrous.
Inflorescences 4–19 in an axillary raceme or in panicles; axis mostly 2–15.5 cm long, sometimes ± zigzagged; peduncles 3–8 mm long, glabrous; heads globose, 40–60-flowered, 5–10 mm diam., yellow to bright yellow. Calyx 1.1–1.7 mm long, lobes ± spathulate.
Pods ± straight to curved, ± flat, ± straight-sided to slightly constricted between seeds, 4–14 cm long, 6–12 mm wide, leathery to thinly leathery, glabrous, often pruinose; seeds longitudinal; funicle filiform.
Flowering: August–October.
Distribution and occurrence: north from Uralla. Grows in dry sclerophyll forest and woodland on granite.
NSW subdivisions: NT, NWS
Other Australian states: Qld
The name refers to the glaucous or pruinose appearance of the leaves and legumes. Closely related to Acacia debilis which has smaller flower heads and ± triangular calyx lobes.
Text by P.G. Kodela (March 2006)
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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