Acacia deuteroneura

General Plant Info

Acacia deuteroneura is a shrub growing to about 3 m high, endemic to Queensland, Australia.

Listed as Vulnerable (Nature Conservation Act 1992 (Queensland): July 2012) as Acacia deuteroneura

This species may be confused with Acacia decora and Acacia polifolia which grow in the same area. In contrast to Acacia decora, both the other two species have phyllodes with only one nerve and hairy racemes, and funicles which do not encircle the seeds. (Pedley 1979; Orchard & Wilson 2001)

Geographic distribution

Acacia deuteroneura is known from only two locations: one 64 km north-north-east of Tambo on the road to Alpha in central western Queensland, growing on a knoll of weathered sandstone with Eucalyptus bakeri (Maslin, 2001) and the other from 60 km north of Tambo. Fewer than 100 individuals were observed at one site in 1973 (L. Pedley 2001, pers. comm.).

There are only two specimens of Acacia deuteroneura in the Queensland Herbarium, collected in 1968 and 1973 (BRI collection details, n.d.)

Identification

Phyllodes are blue-green in colour, narrowly elliptic to oblong-elliptic or oblanceolate, 3–6 cm long, 6–12 mm wide, obtuse, coriaceous, glaucous, glabrous; midrib prominent, with a minor nerve parallel to midrib for 2/3 length of phyllode; lateral nerves few and obscure; gland somewhat prominent, 10–18 mm above pulvinus, occasionally a second gland above middle.

Inflorescences racemose; raceme axes 3–5 cm long, pruinose, glabrous; peduncles 10–16 mm long, pruinose, glabrous; heads globular, 20–30-flowered, yellow. Flowers 5-merous; sepals c. 3/5-united. Flowers have been recorded in Aug

Pods to c. 5 cm long, 12–13 mm wide, firmly chartaceous, pruinose, glabrous. Fruits in Nov. (BRI undated).

Seeds transverse, oblong-elliptic, 3.5–4 mm long, dull black in colour; funicle 3/4 encircling seed in a double fold; aril clavate.

Cultivation

This species grows in skeletal soil.

Links

http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon_id=12836

http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/species/pubs/12836-conservation-advice.pdf

http://wetlandinfo.ehp.qld.gov.au/wetlands/ecology/components/species/?acacia-deuteroneura