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black wattle

golden wattle

Habit Shrubs or small trees, erect, to 10 m. Shrubs or small trees, erect, to 8 m.
Twigs

dark purplish brown to black, slightly flexuous, ridged, puberulent.

reddish brown, slightly flexuous, terete, glabrous.

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 flat, falcate, narrowly elliptic to oblanceolate, 90–150 × 10–35 mm, venation pinnate, midvein medial, minor veins not obvious, apex obtuse, apiculate, surfaces glabrous;

gland 1 (or 2), 3–45 mm distal to pulvinus;

pulvinus 4–8 mm.

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, 7–10 mm diam., usually in solitary pseudoracemes of 20–30 heads in leaf axils.

Peduncles

4–9 mm.

2–5 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, golden yellow;

calyx 1.5–2 mm;

corolla 2.5–3 mm;

filaments 3.5–4.5 mm;

ovary glabrous.

Legumes

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

flattened, linear, 50–130 × 5–7 mm, slightly constricted between seeds.

Seeds

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

aril light yellow, obovate, forming cap on seed.

2n

= 26.

Acacia mearnsii

Acacia pycnantha

Phenology Flowering spring, early summer. Flowering winter, spring.
Habitat Disturbed areas. Disturbed coastal habitats.
Elevation 0–400 m. [0–1300 ft.] 0–100 m. [0–300 ft.]
Distribution
from FNA
CA; se Australia [Introduced in North America]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; se Australia [Introduced in North America]
[BONAP county map]
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 pycnantha is known from Los Angeles, Marin, Orange, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Barbara counties.

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

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. longifolia, 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. redolens, A. retinodes, A. saligna, A. verticillata
Name authority De Wildeman: Pl. Bequaert. 3: 61. (1925) — (as mearnsi) Bentham: London J. Bot. 1: 351. (1842)
Source FNA vol. 11. FNA vol. 11.
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