Acacia filamentosa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Acacia filamentosa |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Acacia
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| Species: |
filamentosa
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| Occurrence data from AVH | |
Acacia filamentosa is a type of shrub (a bushy plant) that belongs to the large plant group called Acacia. It's special because it only grows naturally in the north-western part of Australia. This means it's endemic there, found nowhere else in the wild!
What Does Acacia filamentosa Look Like?
This shrub usually grows to be about 0.9 to 2 metres (3 to 7 ft) tall. Its small branches, called branchlets, are smooth (which means glabrous) and feel sticky because they have a natural resin on them.
Like most Acacia plants, it doesn't have regular leaves. Instead, it has special flattened stems called phyllodes that act like leaves. These phyllodes are always green and grow upwards. They are shaped like thick threads (this is called filiform). They can be straight, curved, or slightly wavy.
- Each phyllode is about 15 to 25 cm (5.9 to 9.8 in) long.
- They are very thin, only about 1 mm (0.039 in) wide.
- You might notice eight faint, sticky lines (veins) running along them.
This plant blooms with bright yellow flowers from June to September. Its flowers grow in simple clusters called inflorescences. These clusters appear in pairs where the phyllodes join the stem (this spot is called the axil). The flower clusters look like small cylinders or spikes.
- Each flower-spike is about 20 to 25 mm (0.79 to 0.98 in) long.
- They are about 6 mm (0.24 in) wide.
- They are packed with many tiny yellow flowers.
After the flowers, the plant forms seed pods. These pods are thin but tough (called crustaceous or thin-coriaceous). They are long and narrow, like a line, and you can see slight bumps where the seeds are inside.
- The pods can grow up to 11 cm (4.3 in) long.
- They are about 3 mm (0.12 in) wide.
- They have thin lines running along them (longitudinally striated) and are smooth.
Inside the pods, the seeds are brown and have a yellow band around their edge. They are arranged lengthwise. Each seed is a narrow oval shape, about 6 to 7 mm (0.24 to 0.28 in) long, and has a pale yellowish cap called an aril.
Where Does Acacia filamentosa Grow?
Acacia filamentosa is found naturally in a specific part of Western Australia. This area is in the Kimberley region. It grows about 150 to 300 km (93 to 186 mi) south-west of a town called Wyndham.
You can find these shrubs scattered in a few places, including Adcock Gorge. This gorge is located between two large cattle stations: Pentecost Downs Station and Kalumburu. Acacia filamentosa usually prefers to grow on sandstone hills.
