Acacia concurrens Pedley
| Family Fabaceae
Subfamily Mimosoideae
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Common name: curracabah, Black Wattle
Acacia concurrens Pedley APNI* Synonyms: Racosperma concurrens (Pedley) Pedley APNI*
Acacia cunninghamii Hook. APNI*
Description: Erect or spreading tree or shrub 3–10 m high; bark slightly corrugated or furrowed mainly at base, grey or brown; branchlets angled or flattened, stout, glabrous, often scurfy.
Phyllodes elliptic to narrowly elliptic, subfalcate to falcate (occasionally some phyllodes ± straight), mostly 10–16 cm long and 12–40 mm wide, glabrous, 3 or 4 longitudinal veins more prominent, the lower 2 joining together near base, minor longitudinal veins anastomosing, 2–4 (-5) veins per mm, apex ± obtuse; 1 gland at base; pulvinus usually 5–9 mm long.
Inflorescences usually 2 in axil of phyllodes; peduncles 5–8 mm long, glabrous; heads cylindrical, 5–10 cm long, pale yellow.
Pods mostly curved or twisted, sometimes straight or openly coiled 1–2 times, raised over and barely, or variably more deeply, constricted between seeds, mostly 6–12.5 cm long (some pods may be smaller, 3 cm or more long), 2–4 mm wide, firmly papery to thinly leathery, brittle and longitudinally ridged-wrinkled when dry, glabrous; seeds longitudinal; funicle folded several times and terminating in an aril.
Flowering: usually July–September.
Distribution and occurrence: chiefly on the coast north from Swansea, also near Tenterfield. Grows in sclerophyll forest, woodland and shrubland, in shale- or sandstone-derived soils.
NSW subdivisions: NC, NT, CWS
Other Australian states: Qld
The name refers to the converging primary veins of the phyllodes. Closely related to Acacia leiocalyx which is distinguished by more angular and reddish branchlets, shorter pulvinus, green phyllodes and deeper yellow flower heads, and to A. crassa which has more dense, deep yellow spikes, shorter pulvinus and generally larger green phyllodes. Intermediates between A. concurrens and A. leiocalyx occur in northern New South Wales. "Acacia concurrens together with A. crassa, A. leiocalyx, A. longispicata and A. tingoorensis (syn A. longispicata subsp. velutina) constitute a group of closely interrelated and taxonomically 'difficult' species belonging to the often confused and poorly defined 'A. cunninghamii group', see L. Pedley, Contrib. Queensland Herb. 15: 9 (1974) and Austrobaileya 1: 179 (1978). More recently a reappraisal of A. leiocalyx by L.Pedley, Austrobaileya 5: 313–320 (1999), resulted in the addition of two more endemic Qld species to the group, namely, A. faucium and A. fodinalis. Acacia rubricaulis and especially A. burdekensis are not far removed from this group. Other species with spicate inflorescences and large phyllodes with anastomosing secondary nerves (and the major longitudinal nerves either running together or confluent with the lower margin near the base) have at various times been referred to this group, including A. cretata and A. tropica", - fide B.R. Maslin, WATTLE ver. 2 key.
Text by P.G. Kodela (last updated September 2016)
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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