Acacia anfractuosa facts for kids
Acacia anfractuosa is a special kind of shrub or tree. It belongs to a large group of plants called Acacia, also known as wattles. This plant is found only in Western Australia, which means it is an endemic species there.
Quick facts for kids Acacia anfractuosa |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Acacia
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| Species: |
anfractuosa
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Contents
What Does Acacia anfractuosa Look Like?
This plant can be a thin, spreading, or even weeping shrub or tree. It usually grows to be about 1.3 to 4.5 meters (around 4 to 15 feet) tall. Its branches hang down and are smooth. New shoots have a sticky, resin-like coating.
Leaves and Flowers
The leaves are called phyllodes. They are green to grey-green and shaped like long, thin lines. They curve inwards strongly. These leaves are about 5.5 to 23 centimeters (2 to 9 inches) long and 1 to 2 millimeters (less than an inch) wide. Each leaf has a wide yellowish vein in the middle. It also has one to three thinner veins running next to it.
Acacia anfractuosa blooms from July to December. It produces bright yellow flowers. The flowers grow in simple, round or oval-shaped clusters. These clusters appear alone or in pairs where the leaves meet the stem. Each flower cluster is about 7 to 12 millimeters (0.3 to 0.5 inches) long and 6 to 8 millimeters (0.2 to 0.3 inches) across. They contain 22 to 32 golden flowers packed closely together.
Seed Pods
After the flowers, dark brown seed pods start to form. These pods are long and curved. They have yellow edges. The pods are raised and squeezed in between each seed. They grow to about 12 centimeters (4.7 inches) long and 1.5 to 2.5 millimeters (0.06 to 0.1 inches) wide. Inside the pods are shiny, mottled brown seeds. These seeds are shaped like long ovals and are about 4.5 to 5 millimeters (0.18 to 0.2 inches) long.
How Was Acacia anfractuosa Named?
A botanist named Bruce Maslin first officially described this species in 1976. He wrote about it in a scientific paper called Studies in the genus Acacia (Mimosaceae) - Miscellaneous new phyllodinous species. This paper was published in a journal called Nuytsia.
Later, in 2003, another botanist named Leslie Pedley changed its name to Racosperma anfractuosum. But then, in 2006, it was moved back to the Acacia group.
This plant is quite similar to Acacia sciophanes. It also looks a bit like Acacia heteroneura and Acacia merinthophora.
Where Does Acacia anfractuosa Grow?
This shrub is native to parts of Western Australia. You can find it in the Wheatbelt and Goldfields-Esperance regions. It grows between Bruce Rock in the west and Coolgardie in the east.
It likes to grow in sandy soils on flat, sandy areas. It is often found as part of plant groups called heath or scrubland communities.
