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golden wattle, sidney golden wattle, sydney golden wattle

ever blooming acacia, ever-blooming wattle, swamp wattle, water 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, often spreading by root suckers.
Twigs

reddish brown, not flexuous, ridged, glabrous.

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.

phyllodic;

phyllode flat, slightly falcate, linear-lanceolate to narrowly oblanceolate, 30–200 × 3–14 mm, venation pinnate, midvein medial, minor veins not obvious, apex acuminate, apiculate, surfaces glabrous;

gland 1, 1–10 mm distal to pulvinus (not obvious, not disciform);

pulvinus 1–3 mm.

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, 5–7 mm diam., in solitary pseudoracemes of 5–9 heads in leaf axils.

Peduncles

0–2 mm.

2–5 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 0.5–0.9 mm;

corolla 1.2–1.7 mm;

filaments 2.5–3.5 mm;

ovary glabrous.

Legumes

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

flattened, linear, 40–160 × 4–7 mm, slightly constricted between seeds.

Seeds

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

aril light yellow, nearly encircling seed.

2n

= 26.

Acacia longifolia

Acacia retinodes

Phenology Flowering winter, spring. Flowering year-round.
Habitat Sandy coastal areas. Disturbed coastal habitats.
Elevation 0–40 m. (0–100 ft.) 0–600 m. (0–2000 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; FL; se Australia [Introduced in North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[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 retinodes is known from Los Angeles, Marin, Orange, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Barbara counties in California, and from Glades and Monroe counties in Florida.

(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. mearnsii, A. melanoxylon, A. paradoxa, A. pycnantha, A. redolens, A. saligna, A. verticillata
Synonyms Mimosa longifolia
Name authority (Andrews) Willdenow: Sp. Pl. 4: 1052. (1806) Schlechtendal: Linnaea 20: 664. (1847)
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