Acacia epedunculata facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Acacia epedunculata |
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|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Acacia
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| Species: |
epedunculata
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Acacia epedunculata is a special type of shrub that belongs to the big family of plants called Acacias. It's a small, spreading plant that only grows naturally in a tiny, dry part of western Australia. When a plant or animal only lives in one specific area, it's called endemic.
Contents
About the Acacia epedunculata Plant
This shrub is low to the ground and spreads out, with many stems growing from its base. It usually grows to be about 0.5 to 0.7 meters (about 1.6 to 2.3 feet) tall.
What its Branches and Leaves Look Like
The small branches have smooth, shiny ribs that look like they have resin on them. New shoots that grow between these ribs are covered in soft, silky hairs.
Like most Acacia plants, Acacia epedunculata doesn't have regular leaves. Instead, it has special flattened stems called phyllodes that act like leaves. These phyllodes are grey-green to silvery light green. They are mostly straight or slightly curved inwards. They have a flat, diamond-like shape.
Each phyllode is about 4 to 4.5 centimeters (about 1.6 to 1.8 inches) long and 1.3 to 1.6 millimeters (about 0.05 to 0.06 inches) wide. They feel a bit prickly and usually have three veins on each side, though often only the middle vein is easy to see.
Flowers and Seed Pods
This plant blooms in August, producing bright yellow flowers. Its flowers grow in simple groups called inflorescences. These flower groups appear one by one where the leaf (or phyllode) meets the stem, which is called the axil. The flower-heads are round and don't have a stalk, meaning they sit directly on the stem. Each flower-head is about 4.5 millimeters (about 0.18 inches) across and contains 20 golden-colored flowers.
After the flowers bloom, thin, somewhat brittle seed pods form. These pods are long and narrow, but they are slightly pinched in between each seed, which are spaced quite far apart. The pods can grow up to 6.5 centimeters (about 2.6 inches) long and are about 2 millimeters (about 0.08 inches) wide. They have light-colored edges and small, silvery hairs on their dark brown surfaces.
Inside the pods are shiny, mottled brown seeds. They are narrow and oval-shaped, about 3.2 to 3.5 millimeters (about 0.13 to 0.14 inches) long. Each seed has a cone-shaped attachment called an aril, which is about the same length as the seed itself.
Where Acacia epedunculata Lives
This Acacia plant is found in a specific area of the Goldfields-Esperance region in Western Australia. It usually grows on flat, sandy areas called sand-plains, in yellow sandy soils.
You can find it mainly around the town of Bulla bulling, which is about 30 kilometers (about 18.6 miles) west of Coolgardie. It grows as part of open shrubland communities, which are areas with many different types of shrubs.
