Acacia calcarata facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Acacia calcarata |
|
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Acacia
|
| Species: |
calcarata
|
 |
|
| Occurrence data from AVH | |
Acacia calcarata is a type of shrub that belongs to the large Acacia family. It's also known as a wattle, and it's found in parts of Western Australia. This plant is a prickly bush that can grow quite tall and has pretty yellow flowers.
What Does Acacia calcarata Look Like?
This spreading, prickly shrub usually grows to be about 0.5 to 1.5 meters (1.6 to 4.9 feet) tall. It blooms with bright yellow flowers from July to August. Its branches are light grey and smooth, turning a reddish color at the tips.
The leaves, called phyllodes, are stiff and pointy. They grow upwards along the branches. These phyllodes are often slightly curved and have a unique five-sided or four-sided shape when you look at them closely. They are usually 20 to 40 millimeters (0.8 to 1.6 inches) long and about 1.5 millimeters (0.06 inches) wide.
Each small flower cluster usually has two flower heads. These flower heads are round and contain 16 to 22 golden-yellow flowers. After the flowers bloom, flat, narrow, blackish seed pods form. These pods can be up to 70 millimeters (2.8 inches) long and 10 millimeters (0.4 inches) wide. Inside, they hold long, oval-shaped seeds.
How Was Acacia calcarata Named?
This plant was first officially described by two botanists, Joseph Maiden and William Blakely, in 1928. They wrote about it in a scientific paper called Descriptions of fifty new species and six varieties of western and northern Australian Acacias, and notes on four other species. This paper was published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia.
Later, in 2003, another botanist named Leslie Pedley changed its name to Racosperma calcaratum. However, in 2006, it was changed back to its current name, Acacia calcarata. This plant looks quite similar to Acacia inamabilis. Its leaves and branches also resemble those of Acacia asepala.
Where Does Acacia calcarata Grow?
This shrub is native to the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia. It grows in scattered areas within this region. You can find it between Norseman in the south and as far north as Leonora.
Acacia calcarata prefers to grow in red, sandy, loamy, and rocky soils. It is often found as part of open mallee scrub or tall shrubland communities. These are types of plant groups common in the Australian landscape.
