Acacia mearnsii |
Acacia paradoxa |
|
---|---|---|
black wattle |
kangaroo thorn, Paradox acacia |
|
Habit | Shrubs or small trees, erect, to 10 m. Twigs dark purplish brown to black, slightly flexuous, ridged, puberulent. | Shrubs or small trees, erect, to 4 m. Twigs light to dark reddish brown, not flexuous, ridged, densely pubescent; stipular spines present. |
Leaves | 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. |
phyllodic; phyllode undulate, straight, lanceolate to narrowly oblong-elliptic, 7–20 × 2–7 mm, venation pinnate, midvein usually eccentric, minor veins prominent, apex acute to obtuse, not apiculate, spine-tipped, surfaces slightly pubescent or glabrous; gland 1, 2–5 mm distal to leaf base; pulvinus absent. |
Inflorescences | globose heads, densely flowered, 5–9 mm diam., in axillary pseudoracemes of 20–35 heads or terminal pseudopanicles of 1–10 pseudoracemes. |
globose heads, densely flowered, 8–12 mm diam., 1 (or 2) in leaf axils. |
Peduncles | 4–9 mm. |
5–18 mm. |
Flowers | 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. |
5-merous, bright yellow; calyx 1–1.7 mm; corolla 1.6–2.4 mm; filaments 3.3–4.3 mm; ovary glabrous or pubescent. |
Legumes | flattened, linear, 30–140 × 4–8 mm, slightly constricted between seeds. |
flattened, oblong, 30–60 × 4–7 mm, not constricted between seeds. |
Seeds | aril light yellow, obovate, 1–2 mm, forming cap on seed. |
aril yellow, club-shaped, 1–2 mm, forming cap on seed. |
2n | = 26. |
|
Acacia mearnsii |
Acacia paradoxa |
|
Phenology | Flowering spring, early summer. | Flowering winter, spring. |
Habitat | Disturbed areas. | Disturbed areas. |
Elevation | 0–400 m. (0–1300 ft.) | 0–300 m. (0–1000 ft.) |
Distribution |
CA; se Australia [Introduced in North America] |
CA; se Australia (Tasmania) [Introduced in North America; introduced also in s South America (Chile)] |
Discussion | 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.) |
Acacia paradoxa is known from Alameda, Marin, Monterey, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz 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 | ||
Name authority | De Wildeman: Pl. Bequaert. 3: 61. (1925) — (as mearnsi) | de Candolle: Cat. Pl. Hort. Monsp., 74. (1813) |
Web links |