Shrubs or small trees, erect, to 10 m. Twigs dark purplish brown to black, slightly flexu­ous, ridged, puberulent. Leaves compound, 50–140 mm; petiole 5–30 mm, puberulent, gland present, below proximal­most pinna pair, 0.7–1.5 mm diam., puberulent; rachis glands scat­tered, with some between pinna pairs (at pinna pair nodes and internodes); pinnae 7–31 pairs, 15–70 mm, 3–7 mm between pinna pairs; leaflets 20–70 pairs per pinna, blades linear, 1.5–3.5 × 0.5–0.8 mm, base cuneate, apex obtuse, not apiculate, surfaces puberulent. Peduncles 4–9 mm. Inflorescences globose heads, densely flowered, 5–9 mm diam., in axillary pseudo­racemes of 20–35 heads or terminal pseudopanicles of 1–10 pseudoracemes. Flowers 5-merous, pale yellow to cream; calyx 0.6–1.1 mm; corolla 1.4–2 mm; filaments 3.5–4.5 mm; ovary glabrous. Legumes flattened, linear, 30–140 × 4–8 mm, slightly constricted between seeds. Seeds: aril light yellow, obovate, 1–2 mm, forming cap on seed. 2n = 26.

Phenology: Flowering spring, early summer.
Habitat: Disturbed areas.
Elevation: 0–400 m.

Distribution

• Generated Map
• Legacy Map

Introduced; Calif., se Australia.

Discussion

Acacia mearnsii is known from Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Diego, and Santa Barbara counties.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.