Acacia argentina facts for kids

Acacia argentina is a type of shrub that belongs to the Acacia family. It is found naturally in eastern Australia.

What it Looks Like

This shrub usually grows to about 4 meters (about 13 feet) tall. Its branches are round and have a slightly blue-green, waxy coating. They have a few to a moderate amount of tiny hairs. These hairs also cover the stems of the leaves. The very tips of new branches look silvery-grey, sometimes with a hint of yellow.

The leaves are a grey-green color and are divided into many smaller parts, like a feather. This is called "bipinnate." Each leaf is about 8 to 24 millimeters long (less than an inch). There are usually two or three pairs of main leaf branches (called pinnae) on each leaf. Each of these branches is about 13 to 20 millimeters long. On each of these branches, there are six to nine pairs of tiny leaflets. These leaflets are oblong (a bit like a stretched oval) and are about 6 to 9 millimeters long and 1.4 to 2.8 millimeters wide.

Acacia argentina flowers between July and September. Its flowers grow in small groups from the leaf axils (the spot where a leaf joins the stem). Each group has up to eight branches. At the end of each branch is a round, yellow flowerhead. These flowerheads are about 5 millimeters across and are made up of 20 to 24 tiny flowers. After the flowers bloom, long, thin seed pods grow. These pods are about 6 centimeters long and are covered with stiff hairs.

This plant looks similar to another species called Acacia chinchillensis. However, Acacia argentina grows taller and has wider leaflets.

How it was Named

This plant species was first officially described by a botanist named Leslie Pedley in 2006. A botanist is a scientist who studies plants. Pedley wrote about Acacia argentina in a scientific paper called Notes on Acacia Mill. (Leguminosae: Mimosoideae), chiefly from Queensland. This paper was published in a journal called Austrobaileya.

Where it Lives

Acacia argentina has a very small natural home. It is only found in a specific area in the sandstone parts of south-western Queensland, Australia. You can find it in the upper parts of smaller rivers that flow into the Dawson River. This area is located north of a town called Taroom.