Dwarf rock wattle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Dwarf rock wattle |
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|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Acacia
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| Species: |
pygmaea
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The Acacia pygmaea, also known as the dwarf rock wattle, is a small shrub. It belongs to the Acacia plant family and is found only in the southwestern part of Australia. Being "endemic" means it naturally grows nowhere else in the world.
About the Dwarf Rock Wattle
This upright shrub usually grows to be about 0.3 to 0.5 meters (about 1 to 1.6 feet) tall. Its branches are smooth and have clear ribs. It has small, triangle-shaped leaf-like parts called stipules, which are only about 0.5 millimeters long.
Like most Acacia plants, the dwarf rock wattle doesn't have true leaves. Instead, it has special flattened stems called phyllodes that look and act like leaves. These thin, green phyllodes are crowded on the branches. They are oval or egg-shaped, about 20 to 30 millimeters long and 9 to 13 millimeters wide. Each phyllode usually has one or two main veins and a few faint side veins.
The dwarf rock wattle blooms from October to March. Its flowers start out white-cream and then change to an orange color as they get older.
Plant Family and Relatives
The dwarf rock wattle is part of a group of plants called the Acacia myrtifolia group. It is closely related to other wattle species like Acacia disticha, Acacia nervosa, and Acacia obovata. Scientists group plants like this to understand how they are related and how they evolved.
Where It Grows
This wattle plant lives in a small area of the Wheatbelt region in Western Australia. You can often find it growing in cracks and crevices at the top of rocky ridges. It prefers soils that are based on a type of rock called laterite.
The dwarf rock wattle has a very limited home range, mainly around Wongan Hills. It grows along three nearby ridges, including Mount Matilda and Mount O'Brien, over a distance of about 8 kilometers (5 miles). In 1997, only 129 individual plants were counted in total.
It usually grows in open areas where Eucalyptus ebbanoensis trees are found. It shares its habitat with other plants like Allocasuarina campestris, Banksia pulchella, Banksia hewardiana, and Persoonia divergens.
