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Electronic Flora of South Australia species Fact Sheet

Family: Fabaceae
Acacia gilesiana

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Citation: F. Mueller, Chem. & Druggist, Aust. Suppl.5(51):26 (1882).

Derivation: gilesiana—named in honour of William Ernest Powell Giles (1835-1897), explorer and botanical collector.

Synonymy: Not Applicable

Common name: None

Description:
Erect, spreading, dense, glaucous shrubs 2-3 m high; branchlets ascending, glabrous, smooth, slightly angular soon terete; bark grey-brown, fissured at the base of stems.

Phyllodes thickly filiform, 5-13 cm long, c. 1.5 mm diam., straight or slightly curved, rigid, erect, terete, slightly glaucescent, veins numerous, longitudinal, yellowish and not raised, apex coarsely pungent, dark reddish-brown; glands small and rather obscure, one 10-15 mm from base of phyllode, and one at the apex.

Inflorescences axillary, glabrous, racemes much shorter than phyllodes, raceme axis slender and glabrous with 2-8 heads; flower-heads globular, bright yellow, 30-35-flowered; peduncles slender, glabrous, 10-20 mm long; flowers 5-merous.

Legumes narrowly oblong, 6-11 cm long, 10--12 mm broad, flat, slightly curved, slightly resinous and fissured, brown, margins thickened and vein-like, slightly contracted between seeds; apex acute. Seeds longitudinal in legumes, ovoid; funicle filiform, short, without an aril.

Distribution:  Scattered or in small groups in the Nullarbor region near Maralinga and into the North-Western region west of 132( long. and south of 28( lat. Usually on deep sand in low open woodland or tall shrubland and mainly associated with Eucalyptus socialis, Acacia aneura and Triodia sp. Soils; red siliceous sand and shallow calcareous loam. Rainfall 150-200 mm. Also W.Aust.

S.Aust.: NW, NU, GT.

Flowering time: July — August.


SA Distribution Map based
on current data relating to
specimens held in the
State Herbarium of South Australia

Biology: No text

Related taxa: Acacia rigens (sp. 82) has some affinities but differs in its inflorescences not racemose in clusters of 1-4 heads.

Taxonomic notes: Lothian (1973) describes the search for A. gilesiana during a collecting trip in 1972. The ecology and plant associations are indicated. The species appears confined to consolidated sand dunes in the far north west of the State in regions receiving only 150-175 mm (6-7 inches) per year.

Cultivation: Not known in cultivation.

Author: Not yet available

Source:


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