Flora of New Zealand Series

green wattle

Small to large tree; twigs rounded to sharply angled, ± glabrous or with few to many, sparsely distributed, very fine, appressed hairs. Lvs 2-pinnate, alternate, glabrous or with fine appressed hairs on rachis only; pinnae in (4)-5-10-(12) pairs; pinnules in (15)-20-40 pairs, widely spaced, dark green, linear, obtuse to subacute, entire, (5)-7-12-(15) × c. 0.5 mm; petiole (10)-15-30 mm long; stipules inconspicuous; solitary glands present between each pair of pinnae, usually including 1 between or below basal pair. Infl. of numerous, many-flowered, deep golden yellow, globose heads arranged in axillary, simple or compound racemes ± = lvs. Fls 5-merous, sessile. Pod glabrous, ± straight, 40-100 × 4-8 mm; aril scarcely folded, thickened to one side of seed.

N.: vicinity of Dargaville (Northland), Auckland City, locally established in Waikato, vicinity of Rotorua, Gisborne and Wellington Provinces; S.: occasional in Marlborough and Nelson.

E. Australia, Tasmania 1880

Waste places, dry hillsides.

FL Jul-Sep.

Green wattle is not a common naturalised plant in N.Z.; many early records are probably based on plants of R. dealbatum. The sp. is easily distinguished by the sparsely hairy twigs similar to those of R. parramattense and the long, widely spaced pinnules. It has previously been known in N.Z. as Acacia decurrens.