Bromilow's wattle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bromilow's wattle |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Acacia
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| Species: |
bromilowiana
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| Occurrence data from AVH | |
Acacia bromilowiana, often called Bromilow's wattle, is a unique tree. It belongs to the Acacia group, which includes many types of wattle trees. This specific wattle tree grows only in a small area of north-western Australia. It's a special plant that helps make the Australian landscape beautiful.
What Does It Look Like?
This tree can grow quite tall, up to about 12 meters (around 39 feet). It has dark grey bark that feels a bit rough or stringy. Bromilow's wattle often looks twisted or stands straight up. Most of the time, it's between 2.5 and 6.5 meters tall (about 8 to 21 feet). Its main trunk is usually 12 to 30 centimeters wide (about 5 to 12 inches).
The tree often has one or two main stems that might be a bit crooked. These stems branch out more at about 1 meter (3 feet) from the ground. The top of the tree, called the crown, is usually thick and can be shaped like a dome.
Its smaller branches are reddish and round. They have faint ridges and a white, powdery coating. The leaves, called phyllodes, are grey-green. They are shaped like a spear or a narrow oval, wider below the middle. These leaves are 8 to 18 centimeters long (about 3 to 7 inches) and 1.5 to 4.5 centimeters wide (about 0.6 to 1.8 inches). They can be straight or slightly curved, sometimes a little wavy. You can see many fine lines running along them.
Bromilow's wattle flowers between July and August. Its flowers can be yellow or even pink.
How Was It Named?
A botanist named Bruce Maslin officially described this tree in 2008. He wrote about it in a scientific journal called Nuytsia. His work was part of a larger study about new Acacia plants in Western Australia.
The second part of the tree's scientific name, bromilowiana, honors Robert Neil Bromilow. He was a technical officer in the Pilbara region. Mr. Bromilow helped take care of a collection of plants from a local plant study center in Karratha.
Where Does It Grow?
Bromilow's wattle is found only in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. It grows in many different places there. You might find it in creek beds, on rocky hills, or on steep, crumbling slopes. It also grows in gorges and on breakaways, which are steep cliffs.
This wattle prefers thin, stony soil that is pebbly or gravelly. This soil often sits on top of laterite (a type of red soil), ironstone (rock with iron), or basalt (a dark volcanic rock).
Most of these trees grow in the Hamersley Range. You can find them from around Tom Price through the Ophthalmia Range and on the Hancock Ranges, all the way to Newman. There's also another group of these trees on Balfour Downs Station, which is northeast of Newman.
Bromilow's wattle often grows among open woodlands. These woodlands usually have low eucalypt trees and Corymbia hamersleyana trees. Below them, you'll often find spinifex, which is a type of spiky grass.
