Common name: hedgehog wattle
Acacia echinula DC. APNI* Synonyms: Racosperma echinulum (DC.) Pedley APNI*
Description: Decumbent to erect shrub 0.3–2 m high; branchlets ± terete, resinous, hairy. Stipules subulate, 1–2 mm long.
Phyllodes ± rigid, ± straight, terete or 4-angled, 1–1.3 cm long, c. 1 mm wide, glabrous, midvein prominent, apex often curved, pungent-pointed; 1 small gland at base; pulvinus obscure.
Inflorescences simple, 1 in axil of phyllodes; peduncles 5–15 mm long, glabrous; heads globose, 25–35-flowered, 5–11 mm diam., bright yellow.
Pods slightly to strongly curved, ± flat except slightly raised over seeds, barely to slightly or irregularly more deeply constricted between seeds, 1.5–4 cm long, 3–5 mm wide, thinly leathery to brittle, finely wrinkled, glabrous; seeds longitudinal; funicle filiform.
Flowering: usually July–September.
Distribution and occurrence: chiefly from near Nowra to Lake Macquarie, with an outlier near Grafton. Grows in dry sclerophyll forest and heath on sandstone.
NSW subdivisions: NC, CC, SC, CT, CWS
The name means having small prickles. Similar to Acacia ulicifolia but has deeper yellow flower heads on thicker peduncles and ± terete phyllodes abruptly tapering to the apex.
Text by P.G. Kodela
Taxon concept: P.G. Kodela & G.J. Harden, Flora of NSW Vol. 2 (2002)
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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