Citation: K. Domin, Vestn. Kral. Ceske Spolecn. Nauk Tr. Mat.-Prir. 2:45 (1923)

Derivation: cupularis (Latin)--a little cup, provided with or subtended by a cupule.

Synonymy: A. salicina var. minor F. Muell., J. Proc. Linn. Soc. Bot. 3:126 (1859). A. salicina var. wayae Maiden, Trans. Roy. Soc. S. Aust. 32:277 (1908). A. bivenosa subsp. wayi (Maiden)Pedley, Austrobaileya 1:28 (1977) , Acacia ligulata, Acacia saligna

Common name: Coastal umbrella bush

Description:
Rounded shrubs to 2 m x 2 m, glabrous, older stems grey smooth branchlets mostly dark red-brown often slightly pruinose.

Stipules to 1.4 mm long, shed early. Phyllodes narrowly linear, 3-7 cm long, 1-4 mm wide, more or less thick, finely wrinkled when dry, flat, straight, ascending to erect glaucous to dark green, 1-veined midrib not prominent, pale when dry, lateral veins obscure, marginal veins narrow, often golden, apex rounded-obtuse with a small more or less central mucro, pulvinus yellow-brown. Glands 2-3, mostly one near the pulvinus, the second on margin above midpoint or absent, and the third often obscure, adjacent to the mucro.

Inflorescences 1-7 mm long with 2-3 heads; peduncles 2-6 mm long; flower-heads globular, mid-golden, 4-6 mm diam. (dry) to 8 mm (fresh), 16-22-flowered; flowers 5-merous.

Legumes sub-moniliform, to 7 cm long, 4-5 mm wide with up to 8 articles, breaking readily, smooth or finely striate, often dark-brown. Seeds longitudinal, oblong, 3-5 mm long, 2.5-3 mm wide, dull, light brown; funicle filiform, expanded into a thick orange to scarlet aril.

Distribution:  Subcoastal regions of the State from a single collection on the Western Australian border near Eucla, then southern Eyre Peninsula near Streaky Bay to Cowell, Yorke Peninsula to Ardrossan, Adelaide plains south of Outer Harbour, Fleurieu Peninsula with an isolated occurrence at Worlds End near Burra, the eastern end of Kangaroo Island, the Murray lakes to the South East as far inland as Bordertown. Also in W.Aust. and Victoria. S.Aust.: NU, FR, EP, NL, MU, YP, SL, KI, SE. Flowering time: A. cupularis has been collected in flower between August and November with the principal flowering in September and October. Fruiting time Fruits have been collected mainly in December and January.

SA Distribution Map based on current data relating to specimens held in the State Herbarium of South Australia

Biology: No text

Related taxa: In South Australia most closely related to A. ligulata from which it is not always readily separated, but A. cupularis has red-brown, smooth rather than yellow-brown ribbed branchlets; linear rather than linear-elliptic phyllodes; narrower, 1-4 mm, rather than wider, 4-14 mm, phyllodes with a rounded-obtuse apex with central mucro rather than acute to obtuse and uncinate apex, also shorter racemes, smaller heads, narrower legumes which are more brittle and less woody.

Cultivation: The semiprostrate habit of some forms could make this a useful low cover.

Author: Not yet available

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