Acacia retinodes Schltdl.

  • Authority

    Isley, Duane. 1973. Leguminosae of the United States: I. Subfamily. Mimosoideae. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 25 (1): 1-152.

  • Family

    Mimosaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Acacia retinodes Schltdl.

  • Description

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    Species Description - Glabrous, unarmed shrub or tree. Leaves simple, oblanceolate to linear-oblanceo-late, straight to curved, 6-15 (-20) cm long, (2-)3-12 (-15) mm wide, uninerved with lateral veins strongly ascending, with a slight hooked muero at tip; gland basal to low proximal, usually within 5 mm of base. Flowers in yellow heads, 4-6 mm diam in small axillary racemes shorter than leaves and (or) congested towards branch tips in compound racemes; peduncles 3-10 cm. Bracts (young inflorescences) bristly ciliate; calyx .9-1.2 mm, shallowly lobed, slightly ciliate; corolla to 1.5 mm, the free-narrow lobes often scarcely discernible. Legume oblong, laterally compressed but turgid about seeds, straight or slightly curved, 5-10 cm long, 5-6 mm wide; margin straight or undulate; valves subcoriaceous, dark brown at maturity. Seeds longitudinal; funiculus red (drying brittle-black), encircling the seed, continuous into a whitish caruncle.

  • Discussion

    A. neriifolia Hort. A. floribunda Hort. pro parte A. cyanophylla Hort. pro parte A. pycnantha Hort. pro parte CN 2n = 26 (Tjio, 1948). Enari (1962) includes this species among the common California ornamental shrubs. Possibly A. retinodes and A. longifolia are the most abundant introduced species of Acacia in the United States. As the above horticultural synonymy suggests, the current concept of Acacia retinodes in California is fluid due, in part, to variation in leaf size, width, and form of the inflorescence. Tindale has verified my determinations of a variety of phenotypes. Nearly all U.S. material that has passed as Acacia neriifolia A. Cunn ex Benth. is A. retinodes. Fruits of the two differ in that the red A. retinodes funiculus encircles the seed whereas that of A. neriifolia is but basally plicate. Lacking fruit, A. neriijoha has linear leaves which when young are gray-scurfy beneath with minute, tightly appressed trichomes, .1-.2 mm, some appearing subdolabriform. Mature leaves are green to slightly gray beneath; they are moderately strigose to glabrate. Acacia retinodes cv Floribunda, shortened to A. floribunda has provided confusion with A. floribunda (Vent.) Willd. For key distinctions between A. retinodes and A. pycnantha see the latter.

  • Distribution

    Urban California. Common, cultivated ornamental; also in highway plantings and sparingly established. Flowering most seasons. Native of Australia.

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