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golden wattle, sidney golden wattle, sydney golden wattle

black wattle

Habit Shrubs or trees, erect, to 10 m. Twigs dark reddish brown, not flexuous, ridged, glabrous. Shrubs or small trees, erect, to 10 m. Twigs dark purplish brown to black, slightly flexuous, ridged, puberulent.
Leaves

phyllodic;

phyllode flat, not falcate, narrowly elliptic, 50–150 × 10–25 mm, venation parallel, with 2–4 prominent veins, minor veins prominent, apex acute to obtuse, apiculate, surfaces glabrous;

gland 1, 0–7 mm distal to pulvinus;

pulvinus 2–5 mm.

compound, 50–140 mm;

petiole 5–30 mm, puberulent, gland present, below proximalmost pinna pair, 0.7–1.5 mm diam., puberulent;

rachis glands scattered, with some between pinna pairs (at pinna pair nodes and internodes);

pinnae 7–31 pairs, 15–70 mm, 3–7 mm between pinna pairs;

leaflets 20–70 pairs per pinna, blades linear, 1.5–3.5 × 0.5–0.8 mm, base cuneate, apex obtuse, not apiculate, surfaces puberulent.

Inflorescences

cylindrical spikes, densely flowered, 20–50 × 5–8 mm, solitary or in fascicles of 2 or 3 in leaf axils.

globose heads, densely flowered, 5–9 mm diam., in axillary pseudoracemes of 20–35 heads or terminal pseudopanicles of 1–10 pseudoracemes.

Peduncles

0–2 mm.

4–9 mm.

Flowers

4-merous, bright yellow;

calyx 0.6–0.9 mm;

corolla 1.5–2.1 mm;

filaments 2.6–3.6 mm;

ovary pubescent.

5-merous, pale yellow to cream;

calyx 0.6–1.1 mm;

corolla 1.4–2 mm;

filaments 3.5–4.5 mm;

ovary glabrous.

Legumes

elliptic in cross section, linear, 50–150 × 5–9 mm, somewhat constricted between seeds.

flattened, linear, 30–140 × 4–8 mm, slightly constricted between seeds.

Seeds

aril light yellow, folded several times into thickened, lateral, skirtlike aril covering seed apex.

aril light yellow, obovate, 1–2 mm, forming cap on seed.

2n

= 26.

Acacia longifolia

Acacia mearnsii

Phenology Flowering winter, spring. Flowering spring, early summer.
Habitat Sandy coastal areas. Disturbed areas.
Elevation 0–40 m. (0–100 ft.) 0–400 m. (0–1300 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; Pacific Islands (Kei Islands, New Guinea); se Australia [Introduced in North America; introduced also in s South America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; se Australia [Introduced in North America]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Acacia longifolia is known from Alameda, Contra Costa, Los Angeles, Marin, Monterey, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Solano, and Ventura counties.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Acacia mearnsii is known from Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Diego, and Santa Barbara counties.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 11. FNA vol. 11.
Parent taxa Fabaceae > subfam. Caesalpinioideae (Mimosoid clade) > Acacia Fabaceae > subfam. Caesalpinioideae (Mimosoid clade) > Acacia
Sibling taxa
A. auriculiformis, A. baileyana, A. cultriformis, A. cyclops, A. dealbata, A. decurrens, A. mearnsii, A. melanoxylon, A. paradoxa, A. pycnantha, A. redolens, A. retinodes, A. saligna, A. verticillata
A. auriculiformis, A. baileyana, A. cultriformis, A. cyclops, A. dealbata, A. decurrens, A. longifolia, A. melanoxylon, A. paradoxa, A. pycnantha, A. redolens, A. retinodes, A. saligna, A. verticillata
Synonyms Mimosa longifolia
Name authority (Andrews) Willdenow: Sp. Pl. 4: 1052. (1806) De Wildeman: Pl. Bequaert. 3: 61. (1925) — (as mearnsi)
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