Acacia manipularis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Acacia manipularis |
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|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Acacia
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| Species: |
manipularis
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Acacia manipularis is a type of shrub, part of the Acacia family. It only grows naturally in a specific part of northwestern Australia. This means it is endemic to that area.
About the Shrub
This shrub usually grows low to the ground, spreading out. It can be about 0.75 to 1.2 meters (2.5 to 4 feet) tall. Its branches are round, smooth, and a bit sticky, with faint ridges.
Like many Acacia plants, it has special leaf-like parts called phyllodes instead of regular leaves. These phyllodes stay green all year. They grow in small groups of two to six at each point on the stem. They look like thin threads and can be straight or slightly curved.
The phyllodes are flexible and smooth. They are about 2 to 3 centimeters (0.8 to 1.2 inches) long and about 0.5 millimeters (0.02 inches) wide. You can't easily see any veins on them. This plant blooms in July, producing bright yellow flowers.
How It Was Named
Two botanists, Richard Sumner Cowan and Bruce Maslin, first officially described this species in 1995. They wrote about it in a scientific journal called Nuytsia.
Later, in 2003, another botanist named Leslie Pedley reclassified it. He moved it to a different group called Racosperma manipulare. However, in 2006, it was moved back to the Acacia group.
Where It Grows
Acacia manipularis is found in parts of the Northern Territory and the Kimberley region of Western Australia. It often grows on rocky plateaus made of shale. The soil there is thin and stony.
It has a small natural range, found mainly between Mount House Station and Tableland Station. It usually grows as part of tall shrubland areas. You might find it alongside Eucalyptus brevifolia and different types of Melaleuca plants.
