Acacia prismifolia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Acacia prismifolia |
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|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Acacia
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| Species: |
prismifolia
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Acacia prismifolia is a special type of shrub that belongs to the Acacia family, also known as wattles. This plant is very rare and naturally grows only in a small part of southwestern Australia. For many years, people thought it had completely disappeared from the Earth. But in 2018, it was excitingly found again!
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About the Acacia prismifolia Plant
This round-shaped shrub usually grows to be about 0.15 to 0.5 metres (0.5 to 1.6 ft) tall. Its small branches are covered in tiny hairs. It has small, pointed leaf-like parts called stipules, which are about 1 to 1.5 millimeters long.
Like most Acacia plants, it doesn't have true leaves. Instead, it has special flattened stems called phyllodes that look and act like leaves. These green phyllodes are slightly curved and have a unique three-sided shape. They are about 5 to 9 millimeters long and 1 to 2 millimeters wide. Each phyllode has four small lines, or nerves, with the middle one being a bit raised.
When the plant blooms, it produces simple flower clusters called inflorescences. These are found close together at the ends of the branches. The flowers are bright yellow and grow in small, round heads, about 3 to 4 millimeters across. Each flower head usually has 9 to 10 tiny flowers.
The Plant's Rediscovery
The last time anyone officially recorded seeing an Acacia prismifolia plant was in 1933. After that, people believed it had become extinct, meaning it no longer existed anywhere.
However, in 2018, something amazing happened! A botanist named Libby Sandiford found the plant again near Cranbrook in Western Australia. This was a huge discovery! To help protect this rare plant, seeds from the Acacia prismifolia have been collected. They are now being kept safe and grown by the Threatened Flora Seed Centre in Perth.
Where Acacia prismifolia Lives
This special plant is native to a small area in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. It grows on rocky slopes, often as part of thick shrubland areas. The very first sample of this plant ever collected was found by Ludwig Diels in 1901, near the Stirling Range.
How Acacia prismifolia Got Its Name
The Acacia prismifolia was first officially described in 1904 by a botanist named Ernst Georg Pritzel. He wrote about it in a scientific journal as part of a larger work about plants in Western Australia.
This plant belongs to a group of wattles called the Acacia sulcata group. Scientists believe it is most closely related to another plant called Acacia brachyphylla.
