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Acacia lanceolata facts for kids

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Acacia lanceolata
Conservation status

Priority Three — Poorly Known Taxa (DEC)
Scientific classification
Genus:
Acacia
Species:
lanceolata
"Acacia lanceolata" occurrence data from Australasian Virtual Herbarium
Acacia lanceolata occurrence data from Australasian Virtual Herbarium

Acacia lanceolata is a type of shrub, which is a small woody plant. It belongs to the Acacia family, also known as wattles. This plant is special because it only grows in a small part of western Australia. When a plant or animal is found only in one specific area, it is called "endemic."

What Does It Look Like?

This shrub has a strong smell and often grows with many branches. It usually reaches a height of about 0.3 to 1.2 meters (1 to 4 feet). Its branches can be a bit prickly and are covered with fine hairs. The very ends of the branches might even have a fine white powdery coating.

Like most Acacia species, this plant has "phyllodes" instead of true leaves. Phyllodes are flattened leaf stalks that look and act like leaves. These evergreen phyllodes are somewhat pointed or shaped like a spear. They can be 7 to 15 millimeters long and 1.5 to 4 millimeters wide. They have a main vein in the middle and a few smaller veins running alongside it.

When the plant blooms, it produces round or slightly oval flower-heads. These heads contain 20 to 23 golden-colored flowers. After the flowers, the plant grows seed pods that look a bit like a string of beads. These pods are smooth and firm, up to 17 millimeters long and about 10 millimeters wide. Inside, the seeds are arranged lengthwise and are about 4 millimeters long.

How It Got Its Name

A botanist named Bruce Maslin first officially described this plant in 1999. A botanist is a scientist who studies plants. He wrote about it in a scientific journal called Nuytsia.

For a short time in 2003, the plant was given a different scientific name, Racosperma lanceolatum. However, in 2006, it was moved back to its original group, the Acacia genus.

Where Does It Grow?

Acacia lanceolata is found along the west coast of Western Australia. It grows in specific areas within the Wheatbelt and Mid West regions. You can often find it on rocky hills or slopes made of a type of rock called laterite.

The plant grows between the towns of Mingenew in the north, Morawa in the northeast, and Three Springs in the south. It is usually part of open forests with Eucalyptus trees or tall shrublands with Casuarina plants.

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