Frosty wattle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Frosty wattle |
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|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Acacia
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| Species: |
pruinosa
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| Occurrence data from AVH | |
Acacia pruinosa, often called the frosty wattle, is a beautiful plant that grows in eastern Australia. It's a type of wattle tree or shrub.
What it Looks Like
This plant can be a spreading shrub or a small tree. It usually grows to be about 1 to 6 meters (3 to 20 feet) tall. It has smooth bark and round, smooth branches.
Its leaves are smooth and can be 2 to 6.5 centimeters (about 1 to 2.5 inches) long. Each leaf has one noticeable gland, which is like a small bump, near the middle of its lowest pair of leaflets. The leaves have between one and five pairs of these leaflets, which are 3 to 9 centimeters (about 1 to 3.5 inches) long. Each leaflet has 7 to 20 smaller, oblong parts called pinnules. These pinnules are 8 to 17 millimeters (about 0.3 to 0.7 inches) long and 2.5 to 5 millimeters (about 0.1 to 0.2 inches) wide.
The frosty wattle flowers between August and October. It produces groups of 4 to 19 flower clusters, which grow on a stem that can be 2 to 15 centimeters (about 1 to 6 inches) long. The flower-heads are round, like small balls, and are 5 to 10 millimeters (about 0.2 to 0.4 inches) across. Each flower-head has 40 to 60 yellow to bright yellow flowers.
After the flowers bloom, flat seed pods grow. These pods are leathery and can be straight or slightly curved. They are 4 to 14 centimeters (about 1.5 to 5.5 inches) long and 6 to 12 millimeters (about 0.2 to 0.5 inches) wide.
A botanist named Alan Cunningham first collected a sample of this plant in 1827. He found it in the Liverpool Plains area of New South Wales.
Where it Lives
The frosty wattle is found in the northeastern part of New South Wales. You can see it from around Uralla in the south, stretching north into southeastern Queensland.
It often grows in dry forests and woodlands. It prefers sandy soils or thin soils found over and around granite rocks.
