Acacia verticillata

(L’Hér.) Willd. Prickly Moses
Sp. Pl. 4: 1049 (1806)
Taxonomic status Accepted
Occurrence status Present
Origin Native
Degree of establishment Native

Spreading shrub or erect tree, to 10 m high. Phyllodes sessile, acicular-quadrangular, linear or lanceolate, 0.5–2.5 cm long, 0.2–5 mm wide, pungent, mostly glabrous, alternate, fascicled or whorled, rigid, readily disarticulating; vein 1, rarely more; gland small. Inflorescence a spike or ovoid to spherical head, 1–3 per axil, to 2 cm long, cream to yellow; rachis glabrous to woolly; peduncles 2–15 mm long. Flowers 4-merous, usually densely packed; sepals united, pubescent. Pods linear, 2–8 cm long, 3–5 mm wide, compressed, hardly constricted between seeds, valves thin; seeds elliptic, c. 3–4 mm long, funicle filamentous for c. 2 mm and then folded and thickened into an oblique, turbinate aril.

Wim, GleP, VVP, GipP, OtP, WaP, Gold, CVU, GGr, DunT, EGL, EGU, WPro, HSF, HNF, OtR, Strz, VAlp.

A highly variable species with 4 subspecies, all occur in Victoria. Several of the subspecies have distinct populations within them. Intermediate forms may also be encountered where subspecies are sympatric.   

Source:

Entwisle, T.J.; Maslin, B.R.; Cowan, R.S.; Court, A.B. (1996). Mimosaceae. In: Walsh, N.G.; Entwisle, T.J., ‍Flora of Victoria Vol. 3, Dicotyledons Winteraceae to Myrtaceae‍, pp. 585–658. Inkata Press, Melbourne.

Updated by: Val Stajsic, 27 Aug. 2018
Acacia verticillata (hero image) Spinning
Acacia verticillata (distribution map) Spinning