Acacia pachypoda facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Acacia pachypoda |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Acacia
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| Species: |
pachypoda
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| Occurrence data from AVH | |
Acacia pachypoda is a type of shrub that belongs to the group of plants called Acacia. It is found only in the southwestern part of Australia. This plant is often called a wattle.
About This Plant
This bushy, prickly shrub usually grows to be about 0.3 to 0.7 meters (1 to 2.3 feet) tall. Its branches are smooth and have light grey bark. The small branches are stiff and pointy, without any ridges.
Like many Acacia plants, Acacia pachypoda doesn't have true leaves. Instead, it has special flattened stems called phyllodes that look and act like leaves. These "leaves" are green, stiff, and pointy. They are typically 7 to 26 millimeters long and about 1 millimeter wide.
The plant blooms with cream-yellow flowers from August to September. Its flowers grow in small, round clusters, with about eight flowers in each cluster. After the flowers, long, thin seed pods form. These pods can be up to 5 centimeters (2 inches) long and 2 to 3 millimeters wide. Inside, they hold dark brown, oval-shaped seeds. Each seed has a white cap called an aril at one end.
Plant Family and Name
A botanist named Bruce Maslin first officially described this plant in 1974. Later, in 2003, another botanist, Leslie Pedley, reclassified it. But by 2006, it was moved back into the Acacia group.
Acacia pachypoda is closely related to Acacia castanostegia. It also looks a bit like Acacia atrox.
The plant's scientific name, pachypoda, comes from two ancient Greek words. "Pachys" means "thick," and "pous" means "foot."
Where It Grows
This wattle plant grows in the eastern Wheatbelt and Goldfields-Esperance areas of Western Australia. You can often find it on low, rocky hills and flat plains. It prefers rocky clay, sandy, or stony soils.
It is spread out in different spots, from near Coolgardie in the northwest to the Frank Hann National Park in the south. It also grows east towards Fraser Range. It is usually found in areas with Eucalyptus trees or Mallee scrubland.
