Common name: early wattle, spreading wattle
Acacia genistifolia Link APNI*
Synonyms: Acacia diffusa Ker Gawl. APNI*
Acacia cuspidata A.Cunn. ex Benth. APNI*
Acacia prostrata Lodd., G.Lodd. & W.Lodd. APNI*
Racosperma genistifolium (Link) Pedley APNI*
Acacia daviesioides A.Cunn. ex G.Don APNI*
Description: Erect or spreading shrub 1–3 m high; branchlets angled at extremities, ridged, glabrous.
Phyllodes sessile, ± rigid, straight to slightly curved, terete or 4-angled, 1.5–4 cm long, 1–3 mm wide or rarely to 6 mm, glabrous, midvein prominent or veined at each angle, apex pungent-pointed; 1 gland near base.
Inflorescences simple, 1 or 2 in axil of phyllodes; peduncles 5–20 mm long, glabrous; heads globose, 12–30-flowered, 4–7.5 mm diam., pale yellow to ± white.
Pods straight to strongly curved, raised over and variably constricted between seeds, 3–11 cm long, 4–6 mm wide, thinly leathery, smooth to slightly wrinkled, mostly glabrous, often with appressed minute hairs near base and apex; seeds longitudinal; funicle expanded towards seed.
Flowering: usually July–October.
Distribution and occurrence: west to Grenfell and Griffith, south from Bathurst area; also recorded in the ‘Warragamba Catchment’ (CC).
Grows in dry sclerophyll forest, in gravelly and shaley soils.
NSW subdivisions: ?CC, SC, CT, ST, CWS, SWS, SWP
Other Australian states: Vic. Tas.
The name refers to its likeness to some species of broom (genus Genista).
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
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