Acacia aulacophylla facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Acacia aulacophylla |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Acacia
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| Species: |
aulacophylla
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| Occurrence data from AVH | |
Acacia aulacophylla is a type of shrub that belongs to the Acacia family, often called wattles. This plant is special because it only grows in Western Australia, meaning it's endemic there.
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What Does Acacia aulacophylla Look Like?
This bushy shrub usually grows to be about 1 to 4 metres (3 to 13 ft) tall. Its branches are smooth and round. New shoots often have golden hairs.
Like many Acacia plants, it doesn't have regular leaves. Instead, it has what are called phyllodes. These are flattened leaf stems that act like leaves. The phyllodes of Acacia aulacophylla are stiff, smooth, and stay green all year. They are shaped like needles, about 6 to 16.5 cm (2.4 to 6.5 in) long and 1 mm (0.039 in) wide. They have eight clear lines (nerves) with grooves in between them.
Flowers and Seed Pods
This plant blooms from April to August. It produces bright yellow flowers. These flowers grow in simple groups called inflorescences. They appear alone or in pairs where the leaf (or phyllode) meets the stem.
The flower-heads are round, about 5 to 6 mm (0.20 to 0.24 in) across. Each one contains 40 to 87 golden flowers packed closely together. After the flowers bloom, leathery and smooth seed pods form. These pods are long and straight. They are not bumpy or squeezed between the seeds.
The pods are about 6 to 10 cm (2.4 to 3.9 in) long and 5 to 6 mm (0.20 to 0.24 in) wide. The seeds are arranged lengthwise inside. The seeds themselves are dull black and broadly oval-shaped. They are about 4.5 mm (0.18 in) long and have a small ridge around their edge.
How Was Acacia aulacophylla Named?
This plant was first officially described by two botanists. They were Richard Sumner Cowan and Bruce Maslin. This happened in 1995. They wrote about it in a scientific paper. The paper was called Acacia Miscellany. Five groups of microneurous species of Acacia (Leguminosae: Mimosoideae: section Plurinerves), mostly from Western Australia. It was published in a journal called Nuytsia.
Later, in 2003, another botanist named Leslie Pedley reclassified it. He called it Racosperma aulacophyllum. But in 2006, it was moved back to the Acacia group. This is common in science as new information is found.
Where Does Acacia aulacophylla Grow?
This plant is found in several regions of Western Australia. These include the Wheatbelt, Mid West, and Goldfields-Esperance areas.
It often grows on flat plains, near rocky outcrops called breakaways, or on hills made of laterite or granite. It can grow in different types of soil. These include clay, loamy (a mix of sand, silt, and clay), sandy, or rocky soils.
The plant is spread out in different spots. Most of the population is found from Byro Station in the north. It goes down to Morawa in the south. It also extends east to places like Cue. It grows as part of scrubland communities. These are often dominated by other types of Acacia plants.
