Common name: horse mulga
Acacia ramulosa W.Fitzg. APNI* Synonyms: Racosperma ramulosum (W.Fitzg.) Pedley APNI*
Racosperma ramulosum (W.Fitzg.) Pedley APNI*
Description: Erect or spreading shrub or tree to 6 m high; branchlets ± terete, ± appressed-hairy, glabrescent.
Phyllodes linear, terete (var. linophylla) to flat and thick, straight or slightly curved, 7–20 cm long, 0.7–3.5 mm wide, subglaucous or glaucous, appressed-hairy, striate with numerous longitudinal veins; glands absent or 1 inconspicuous gland at base; pulvinus < 2 mm long.
Inflorescences 1 or 2 in axil of phyllodes; peduncles usually 3–10 mm long, hairy; heads cylindrical, 1–2 cm long, bright yellow.
Pods ± straight, terete, straight-sided to barely constricted between seeds, 2–16 cm long, 4–8 mm wide, silvery to greyish appressed-hairy between yellowish to brownish, resinous, sparsely anastomosing longitudinal veins (appearing ± striate); seeds longitudinal; funicle filiform or expanded towards seed.
Flowering: irregularly throughout the year depending upon weather conditions.
Distribution and occurrence: widespread in central Australia from Shark Bay in coastal WA through SA and southern NT to western Qld and NSW.
NSW subdivisions: NWP, NFWP
Other Australian states: Qld N.T. S.A. W.A.
The name refers to the much branched habit of the species. Related to Acacia brachystachya and A. aneura, both of which differ mainly in the details of the pods.
Text by P.G. Kodela (August 2005)
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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