Milky mulga facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hilltop mulga |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Acacia
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| Species: |
mulganeura
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| Where the Hilltop Mulga grows in Australia | |
The Acacia mulganeura, also known as milky mulga or hilltop mulga, is a special type of tree or shrub. It belongs to the Acacia family and is found only in the dry, desert-like areas of central and western Australia.
Contents
What Does the Hilltop Mulga Look Like?
Size and Shape
This plant often starts as a shrub with many stems, growing about 1.5 to 3 meters (5 to 10 feet) tall. It has a round shape. As it gets older, it can grow into a tree, reaching 4 to 7 meters (13 to 23 feet) high. These trees have a neat, compact top.
Branches and "Leaves"
The branches of the Hilltop Mulga have small ridges. They are usually covered in a sticky, milky blue-grey or yellowish sap, called resin. As the branches get older, this resin can look like tiny white beads. New shoots often have reddish hairs mixed into the resin.
Like many Acacia plants, the Hilltop Mulga doesn't have regular leaves. Instead, it has what are called phyllodes. These are flattened leaf stems that act like leaves. The phyllodes are grey, blue-grey, or dull green. They can be shaped like an oval or wider at the top, and sometimes they are a bit twisted or wavy. They are usually 1 to 5 centimeters (0.4 to 2 inches) long and 5 to 13 millimeters (0.2 to 0.5 inches) wide, with many lines running along them.
Flowers and Seeds
The flowers of the Hilltop Mulga grow in simple, cylinder-shaped spikes that are about 1 to 2 centimeters (0.4 to 0.8 inches) long.
After the flowers bloom, dark greyish-brown seed pods appear. These pods are firm but thin, shaped like an oblong or a spindle, and are 1 to 3.5 centimeters (0.4 to 1.4 inches) long and 5 to 11 millimeters (0.2 to 0.4 inches) wide. They also have small wings, about 1 to 1.5 millimeters long. Inside these pods are elliptical seeds, arranged lengthwise. Each seed is about 4.5 to 5.5 millimeters long and 2.5 to 3.5 millimeters wide, with a small, creamy white part called an aril.
Where Does the Hilltop Mulga Grow?
The Hilltop Mulga is found in several parts of Australia. It grows in the Mid West, Pilbara, and Goldfields-Esperance areas of Western Australia. You can also find it in the southern parts of the Northern Territory and the northern parts of South Australia.
It often grows on flat lands or gently rolling plains, and sometimes on rocky hills. It prefers red-brown soils that are a mix of loam, silt, or clay. Less often, it can be found in clay soils, sometimes over a hard layer, or in very thin soils. It usually grows alongside different types of Eucalyptus shrubs, often with a ground cover of spinifex grasses.
