Acacia amputata facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Acacia amputata
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Fabales
Family:	Fabaceae
Clade:	Mimosoideae
Genus:	Acacia
Species:	A. amputata
Binomial name
Acacia amputata Maslin
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Acacia amputata is a type of shrub from the Acacia family. It is a special plant because it grows naturally only in one area: the southwestern part of Australia. This means it is endemic to that region.

About This Plant

This spreading shrub usually grows to be about 0.25 to 0.6 meters (around 1 to 2 feet) tall. It has branches that are pink-brown and have small spines. These spiny branches also have short, stiff hairs.

The leaves of Acacia amputata are quite small. Each leaf has one pair of tiny leaf parts called pinnae, which are about 1 to 2 millimeters long. On these pinnae, there are two to four even smaller pairs of leaf parts called pinnules. These pinnules are grey-green and smooth, meaning they have no hairs (this is called glabrous). They are shaped like an oblong or obovate (egg-shaped) and are about 1 to 2.5 millimeters long and 0.5 to 1 millimeter wide.

This plant blooms, or flowers, from July to September. It produces bright yellow flowers. These flowers grow in small, round clusters called flower-heads. Each flower-head has about 10 to 20 light golden-colored flowers.

After the flowers, seed pods start to form. These pods are thin and somewhat wavy or even spirally coiled. They can grow up to 15 millimeters long and are about 4 to 5 millimeters wide. Inside these pods, you'll find brown seeds with a mottled (spotted) pattern. The seeds are broadly oval-shaped and are about 2 millimeters long.

Where It Grows

Acacia amputata is found in the Wheatbelt and Great Southern regions of Western Australia. It commonly grows on gently rolling plains. You can find it in soils that are sandy or a mix of gravel and loam (a type of rich soil).

The area where it grows stretches from towns like Narrogin and Brookton in the west. It reaches towards the Frank Hann National Park in the northeast and Boxwood Hill in the southeast. This plant usually grows in open shrublands or in taller, open areas with many Eucalyptus trees.