Common name: Rupp's wattle
Acacia ruppii Maiden & Betche APNI* Synonyms: Racosperma ruppii (Maiden & Betche) Pedley APNI*
Description: Erect or spreading shrub 1–3 m high; bark smooth, grey; branchlets angled at extremities, densely hairy.
Bipinnate leaves sometimes persisting on flowering shoots; phyllodes alternate or spirally arranged, ± narrowly oblanceolate, straight or slightly curved, mostly 0.8–2 cm long, 1–2 mm wide, with fine hairs especially on margins and near base, often becoming subglabrous, longitudinally wrinkled when dry, veins obscure or not evident, apex acute with a mucro; 1 inconspicuous gland 3–10 mm above pulvinus or sometimes absent; pulvinus to 1 mm long.
Inflorescences normally (2-) 3–9-headed racemes (10-) 15–40 (-50) mm long, sometimes leafy, often with some heads single in axil of phyllodes; peduncles 4–8 mm long, hairy; heads globose, 30–35-flowered, 6–10 mm diam., bright yellow.
Pods ± curved, ± flat, irregularly slightly constricted between seeds, 4–11 cm long, 5–6 mm wide, leathery, glabrous or sparsely hairy; seeds longitudinal; funicle short, expanded towards seed.
Flowering: July–September.
Distribution and occurrence: confined to the Grafton-Coaldale area; rare. Grows in dry sclerophyll forest, woodland and shrubland, in sandy soil, often on sandstone and near creeks.
NSW subdivisions: NC
Other Australian states: Qld
Threatened species: NSW BCA: Endangered; Commonwealth EPBC: Endangered
Named in honour of Rev. Herman Montagu Rucker Rupp (1872-1956) who collected the lectotype at Copmanhurst in 1909. Closely related to Acacia torringtonensis, which is generally more hairy with more reduced inflorescences and more densely hairy pods. Acacia ruppii is recorded for Queensland where it is treated as conspecific with Acacia torringtonensis. Also similar to Acacia lineata which tends to be viscid, has fewer flowers per head and the phyllodes have an apical gland.
Text by P.G. Kodela (last update Apr 2012)
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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