Acacia blayana

The tree typically grows to a height of 25 metres (82 ft) with a dbh of around 36 centimetres (14 in)[3] and has an erect habit with smooth dark grey bark.[1] The terete branchlets angle upward and are green, brown or purplish in colour.[3] The leaf and petiole are usually 1.3 to 4.5 centimetres (0.51 to 1.77 in) in length and is sparsely haired to glabrous. The pinnae occur in pair of two to four with a length 4 to 8 cm (1.6 to 3.1 in). The pinnules occur in pairs of 6 to 14 and have a narrow elliptic or narrow oblanceolate shape with a length of 10 to 34 millimetres (0.39 to 1.34 in) and a width of 1.5 to 4 mm (0.059 to 0.157 in). The inflorescences occur in panicles with globose heads with a diameter of 5 to 9 mm (0.197 to 0.354 in) containing 12 to 30 bright yellow flowers. Flowering occurs in spring between September and October.[1] Between November and December after flowering brown, bluish or purplish brown[3] leathery seed pods form that are flat and straight or slightly curved with a length of 4 to 11.5 cm (1.6 to 4.5 in) and 7 to 11 mm (0.276 to 0.433 in) wide.[1]

The species was first formally described by the botanists Mary Tindale and Arthur Bertram Court in 1990 as part of the work Acacia blayana, a new species from the South Coast of New South Wales (Acacia sect. Botrycephalae: Fabaceae) as published in the journal Telopea. It was later reclassified as Racosperma blayanum by Leslie Pedley in 2003 then returned to the genus Acacia in 2006.[4] The type specimen was collected by John Blay in 1982 in the Brogo River catchment to the west of Cobargo.[3] The species is named for the author and collector John Blay.[1]

A. blayana is found only on the eastern side of the Great Dividing Range at Wadbilliga National Park in steep mountainous country.[3] The habitat is shallow rocky soils with relatively tall eucalyptus trees nearby. It is a rare plant with a ROTAP rating of 2RC-.[1] It occurs in pure stands and is sometimes associated with Acacia mearnsii or with species of Eucalyptus and Tristaniopsis laurina.[3]

• List of Acacia species