Acacia deuteroneura facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Acacia deuteroneura |
|
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Acacia
|
| Species: |
deuteroneura
|
Acacia deuteroneura is a type of shrub, a plant that's smaller than a tree but bigger than a bush. It belongs to the Acacia family, which is also known as wattles. This special plant only grows in Queensland, Australia. It's considered a vulnerable plant, meaning it's at risk of disappearing. The Australian government officially listed it as vulnerable in 2008.
What Does Acacia deuteroneura Look Like?
This shrub usually grows to about 3 m (9.8 ft) tall, which is roughly the height of a basketball hoop. Its small branches, called branchlets, are smooth and look like they have a white, frosty coating.
Instead of regular leaves, it has green, flattened stems called phyllodes. These phyllodes are shaped like narrow ovals or wider at the top, and they are about 3 to 6 cm (1.2 to 2.4 in) long and 6 to 12 mm (0.24 to 0.47 in) wide.
Around August, the plant blooms with bright yellow flowers. These flowers grow in round clusters, like small balls, with 20 to 30 flowers in each cluster. After the flowers, the plant produces seed pods. These pods can grow up to 5 cm (2.0 in) long and 13 mm (0.51 in) wide. Inside the pods are shiny black seeds, each about 3.5 to 4 mm (0.14 to 0.16 in) long.
Where Does Acacia deuteroneura Live?
This special Acacia plant is found in only a few places. It lives in the Great Dividing Range in Queensland, about 60 km (37 mi) north of a town called Tambo.
It prefers to grow on rocky, eroded sandstone hills. You can find it in sandy soils that are not very deep. It often grows alongside other plants in woodlands where Eucalyptus bakeri trees are common. In 1973, scientists only found about 100 of these plants at this location, showing how rare they are.
