1. Magnoliopsida
  2. Fabales
  3. Fabaceae
  4. Acacia

Acacia genistifolia Link

Spreading Wattle

Enum. Hort. Berol. Alt. 2: 442 (1822) APNI

Taxonomic status:Accepted

Occurrence status:Present

Establishment means:Native

Open, often straggly, glabrous shrub, usually 0.6–3 m high; branchlet apices ribbed, ribs normally yellow. Phyllodes subdistant, usually patent to inclined, sessile, quadrangular to flat, 1–4(–8) cm long, 1–3 mm wide, rather coarse, rigid, straight to shallowly curved, green, apex usually asymmetric, pungent, cusp slender; veins 4, prominently 1-veined per face when flat, occasionally imperfectly 2–3-veined; gland 2–4 mm above base; stipules c. 1 mm long, sometimes deciduous. Peduncles usually 2–4 per axil, 1–2(–3) cm long, rather slender, basal bract deciduous; heads globular, 12–25-flowered, cream to rich lemon yellow. Flowers 4-merous; sepals united. Pods linear, 4–11 cm long, 4–7 mm wide, thinly coriaceous, arcuate to almost straight, raised over seeds; seeds longitudinal, 3.5–5.5 mm long, aril terminal. Flowers Feb.–Oct.

CVU, DunT, EGL, EGU, GipP, Glep, Gold, GGr, HNF, HSF, MonT, MuM, NIS, OtP, OtR, Strz, VRiv, VVP, WaP, Wim. Also SA, NSW, ACT, Tas. (including Flinders and Bruny Islands).  Appart from the mallee and higher parts of the Dividing Range, common through much of Victoria, growing on a variety of soils in sclerophyll forest, woodland or heathland.

There are three subspecies (Webb et al., 2021)

Source: Entwisle, T.J.; Maslin, B.R.; Cowan, R.S.; Court, A.B. (1996). Mimosaceae. In: Walsh, N.G.; Entwisle, T.J. (eds), Flora of Victoria Vol. 3, Dicotyledons Winteraceae to Myrtaceae. Inkata Press, Melbourne.
Updated by: Neville Walsh, 2021-05-21
 
References

Webb, A.T., Ohlsen, D. & Walsh, N.G. (2021). A phenetic analysis of morphological variation in Acacia genistifolia (Fabaceae subf. Mimosoideae), with recognition of three subspecies, Muelleria 39: 113-126.

 
Hero image
Distribution map

Victoria

Source: AVH (2014). Australia's Virtual Herbarium, Council of Heads of Australasian Herbaria, <http://avh.chah.org.au>. Find Acacia genistifolia in AVH ; Victorian Biodiversity Atlas, © The State of Victoria, Department of Environment and Primary Industries (published Dec. 2014) Find Acacia genistifolia in Victorian Biodiversity Atlas
  Bioregion Occurrence status Establishment means
Murray Mallee present native
Wimmera present native
Glenelg Plain present native
Victorian Volcanic Plain present native
Victorian Riverina present native
Gippsland Plain present native
Otway Plain present native
Warrnambool Plain present native
Goldfields present native
Central Victorian Uplands present native
Greater Grampians present native
Dundas Tablelands present native
Northern Inland Slopes present native
East Gippsland Lowlands present native
East Gippsland Uplands present native
Highlands-Southern Fall present native
Highlands-Northern Fall present native
Otway Ranges present native
Strzelecki Ranges present native
Monaro Tablelands present native
Bioregions of Victoria

State distribution

Distribution map
State
Western Australia
South Australia
New South Wales
Australian Capital Territory
Victoria
Tasmania