Acacia flexifolia A.Cunn. ex Benth., London J. Bot . 1: 359 (1842)
Bent-leaf Wattle , Small Winter Wattle
Rather bushy, spreading shrub normally to 1.5 m high. Branchlets appressed-puberulous and scurfy between the prominently raised, resin-ribs. Phyllodes ascending to erect, linear to narrowly linear, normally kinked or bent upwards at a few mm above the base, 1–2 cm long, 0.7–2.5 mm wide, often slightly dilated at apex, obtuse, dull green to grey-green, glabrous, sometimes glutinous; midrib markedly raised, very close to adaxial margin and often contiguous with it towards apex. Inflorescences simple, mostly 2 per axil; peduncles 2–4 mm long, hoary, resinous; basal bract persistent; heads globular, 3–10-flowered, pale yellow or lemon yellow, resinous. Flowers 5-merous; sepals united. Pods narrowly linear, curved, to 10 cm long, 2–3 mm wide, thinly coriaceous, brown, glabrous. Seeds longitudinal, oblong-elliptic, 4–5 mm long, shiny, brown; aril terminal.
Scattered on the inland slopes of the Great Divide and adjacent plains from near Miles, Qld, S through N.S.W. to Wedderburn, Vic. Grows in shallow soil in open forest or mallee scrub.
Related to A. lineata which differs especially in its obscure branchlet ribs which are not coated with a thick layer of resin, 10–16-flowered heads on peduncles 5–10 mm long, and phyllodes which are never kinked near their base and which possess scarcely raised (yet clearly excentric) midribs.
Type of accepted name
Between Lachlan and Macquarie Rivers, N.S.W., July 1817, A.Cunningham 412 ; syn: BM, K, NY; Cugeegong [= Cudgegong] R., N.S.W., Aug. 1827, A.Cunningham 71 ; syn: BM, K.
Synonymy
Racosperma flexifolium (A.Cunn. ex Benth.) Pedley, Austrobaileya 2: 348 (1987). Type: as for accepted name.
Illustrations
L.F.Costermans, Native Trees & Shrubs SE Australia 312 (1981); G.M.Cunningham et al ., Pl. W New South Wales 351 (1981); M.Simmons, Acacias Australia 89 & pl. 40 (1981); T.Tame, Acacias SE Australia 113, fig. 113, pl. 113 (1992).
Representative collections
Qld: 16–24 km N of Miles, V.Hando 141 (BRI). N.S.W.: 4.8 km W of West Wyalong on Midwestern Hwy, 14 June 1967, M.Tindale & J.Lanyon s.n . (NSW, PERTH). Vic.: Central Whipstick scrub near Bendigo, 27 Dec. 1953, W.Perry s.n . (MEL).
(BRM)
The information presented here originally appeared on the WATTLE CD-ROM which was jointly published by the Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra, and the Department of Conservation and Land Management, Perth; it was produced by CSIRO Publishing from where it is available for purchase. The WATTLE custodians are thanked for allowing us to post this information here.
