Acacia spirorbis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Acacia spirorbis |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Acacia
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| Species: |
spirorbis
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| Occurrence data from AVH | |
The Acacia spirorbis is a type of tree. It belongs to the Acacia family. You can find it growing naturally in eastern Australia.
About the Acacia Spirorbis Tree
This tree can grow quite tall, up to about 12 meters. That's like a four-story building! Its branches are thin and smooth, meaning they don't have any hairs.
Instead of regular leaves, most Acacia trees have something called phyllodes. These are flattened leaf stems that look and act like leaves. The phyllodes of the Acacia spirorbis are dark green and smooth. They are shaped like a narrow oval or a sickle (a curved blade). They are usually 9 to 17 centimeters long and 6 to 16 millimeters wide. You can see two main veins running along them, which are clearer than the other smaller veins.
When the tree flowers, it grows simple flower clusters called inflorescences. These appear in pairs where the leaf meets the stem, a spot called the axil. The flowers grow on cylindrical spikes that are 3 to 8 centimeters long. They are creamy in color and grow in broken bands along the spike.
After the flowers bloom, flat, spirally coiled seed pods form. These pods are 3.5 to 5 millimeters wide, smooth, and covered in a fine white powder. Inside the pods, the seeds are arranged lengthwise or slightly slanted. The seeds are shiny, dark brown, and oblong-shaped. They have a bright yellow aril, which is a fleshy covering that is folded many times under the seed.
How the Tree Got Its Name
A botanist named Jacques Labillardière first officially described this tree in 1825. A botanist is a scientist who studies plants. He wrote about it in his work called Sertum austro-caledonicum.
Later, in 1987, another botanist named Leslie Pedley reclassified it. He called it Racosperma spirorbis. But in 2006, it was moved back to the Acacia group.
There are two main types, or subspecies, of Acacia spirorbis:
- Acacia spirorbis subsp. spirorbis
- Acacia spirorbis subsp. solandri
Where the Tree Grows
The Acacia spirorbis tree is native to certain coastal areas of Queensland, a state in eastern Australia. You can find it from Townsville in the north down to MacKay in the south. It also grows on many islands off the coast. There's also a smaller group of these trees on Rat Island, near Rockhampton.
This tree often grows at the edges of rainforests. It can also be found in Eucalyptus woodlands in drier places. Besides Australia, it also grows naturally in Vanuatu and New Caledonia.
See also
In Spanish: Acacia spirorbis para niños
