Acacia helicophylla facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Acacia helicophylla |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Acacia
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| Species: |
helicophylla
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| Occurrence data from AVH | |
Acacia helicophylla is a type of shrub that belongs to the Acacia family, also known as wattles. It grows naturally in northern Australia.
What Does It Look Like?
This shrub can grow up to 4 m (13 ft) (about 13 feet) tall. It has bark that is reddish-brown to almost black. The bark peels off in long, thin strips, a bit like the "minni ritchi" style bark found on some other wattles.
Its young branches are usually round and covered in tiny hairs. They also have sticky, resin-like bands.
Instead of regular leaves, Acacia helicophylla has special flattened stems called phyllodes. These phyllodes are light green and can be wavy or even twisted like a spiral. They are also hairy.
The phyllodes are usually 3.5 to 12.5 cm (1.4 to 4.9 in) (about 1.4 to 4.9 inches) long and 6 to 30 mm (0.24 to 1.18 in) (about 0.2 to 1.2 inches) wide. They are narrower at their base. Each phyllode has six to eight lines running along it, with one main line that stands out.
Flowers and Seeds
This plant blooms between March and August. It produces beautiful golden flowers that grow in cylinder-shaped spikes. These flower spikes are found alone or in pairs where the phyllodes meet the stem, and they are 1.5 to 3.5 cm (0.59 to 1.38 in) (about 0.6 to 1.4 inches) long.
After the flowers, thin, leathery seed pods form. These pods are narrow and oblong, sometimes pinching in between the seeds. They are 1.8 to 7 cm (0.71 to 2.76 in) (about 0.7 to 2.8 inches) long and 5 to 10 mm (0.20 to 0.39 in) (about 0.2 to 0.4 inches) wide, and they have fine hairs.
Inside the pods, the seeds are arranged lengthwise. The seeds themselves are dark brown, swollen, and oval-shaped. They are about 4.5 to 5.7 mm (0.18 to 0.22 in) (about 0.18 to 0.22 inches) long and have a small, round mark called an areole.
How It Was Named
The plant was first officially described by a botanist named Leslie Pedley in 1974. He included it in a scientific work called Contributions from the Queensland Herbarium.
For a short time in 2003, it was reclassified and given a different scientific name, Racosperma helicophylla, also by Pedley. However, in 2006, it was moved back to the Acacia genus, which is where it remains today.
Where It Grows
Acacia helicophylla is an endemic plant, which means it only grows naturally in one specific area. This area is the top end of the Northern Territory in Australia.
It lives in a tropical climate within a small part of Nitmiluk National Park. You can find it between famous spots like Katherine Gorge and Gunlom Falls. It usually grows on steep hillsides and on sandstone cliffs. It prefers rocky, sandy soils.
