Penninervis has an oblique vein running from a gland 5-30 mm above the leaf stalk, connected to the midvein. The leaf edge is typically indented at that point, The flower heads have 15-30 flowers. It grows in dry forest. Melanoxylon does not have the vein. Its flower heads have 30-50 flowers. It lives near streams and on rainforest edges. http://worldwidewattle.com/imagegallery/image.php?p=0&l=m&id=10955&o=1
Thanks for the info. I will check the leaves and get some close photos of the leaves plus the flower heads and seed pods when it flowers. There may even be some seed pods left on the ground. The forming flower heads look fairly sparse. The leaves and yellowish branchlets are what struck us as being different. The tree is within a box woodland (Bridgesiana/Melliodora) on a dry SW slope. It is very slow growing (this tree is at least 18 years old) and much bushier than our planted Melanoxylons near the house but that could be a result of the location.
If it naturally growing in a dry position it is very unlikely to be melanoxylon. Better photos of the leaves, flower heads in late bud so as to count the individual flowers, and other diagnostics (as in the drawings of the link) would help. The Wattle app should be out very soon.
It looks like A. melanoxylon with tight flower buds at this time of year, but there could be other wattles I am not familiar with. A. melanoxylon is fairly widespread in the ACT though it does not seem to be restricted to moist areas and gullies.
Mike’s comment about the buds was what struck me initially. If you can wait till it releases seed from the mature pods, that is really diagnostic. At the botanic gardens the paths under the Acacia melanoxylon trees at seed time are covered in seeds with very showy bright pink to red fleshy arils arranged as in the line drawing in the link. The ants love them.
I added a close up photo of the leaf taken last week. Pretty certain it is A. melanoxylon based on the leaf structure. Thanks for your help with the ID. I'll add another sighting when it flowers.
Confident of A. melanoxylon bc of location and habitat notes. See: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Acacia~melanoxylon
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