Acacia intricata facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Acacia intricata |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Acacia
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| Species: |
intricata
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| Occurrence data from AVH | |
Acacia intricata is a special kind of shrub that grows only in the southwestern part of Australia. It belongs to a large group of plants called Acacia, which are often known as wattles. This plant is endemic, meaning it's found naturally in only one specific area of the world.
What it Looks Like
This Acacia is a dense, compact, and often prickly shrub. It usually grows between 15 and 50 centimeters (about 6 to 20 inches) tall. Sometimes, it forms low, spreading mounds close to the ground.
- Branches: Its branches are short, straight, and stiff. They can be a bit spiny.
- Leaves: The plant has thick, stiff, green, and pointy "leaves" called phyllodes. These aren't true leaves but flattened stems that act like leaves. They are usually oval-shaped, about 2 to 4 millimeters long and 1 to 3 millimeters wide.
- Flowers: Acacia intricata produces bright yellow flowers from July to September. These flowers grow in small, round clusters, with 7 to 13 flowers in each cluster.
- Seed Pods: After flowering, brown seed pods appear. They are often curved or coiled like a snail shell, about 25 millimeters long and 2.5 millimeters wide. Inside these pods are mottled (speckled) seeds, each about 2.7 to 2.9 millimeters long, with a white aril (a fleshy covering).
How it Was Named
A botanist named Spencer Le Marchant Moore first officially described this plant in 1920. A botanist is a scientist who studies plants. He wrote about it in a scientific journal called Journal of the Linnean Society, Botany.
Later, in 2003, another botanist named Leslie Pedley reclassified it, giving it a new scientific name, Racosperma intricatum. However, in 2006, it was moved back to its original group, the Acacia genus.
Where it Grows
Acacia intricata is found in the Wheatbelt and Goldfields-Esperance regions of Western Australia. It likes to grow on:
- Stony ridges
- Lateritic rises (small hills with a type of reddish soil)
- Flat, gently sloping plains
It prefers sandy-clay-loam soils. Most of these plants are found between Bencubbin in the north and areas around Lake Grace and Lake King. It grows as part of mallee shrubland (areas with many small, multi-stemmed trees) or open woodland communities (areas with scattered trees).
See Also
- List of Acacia species
