Whirrakee wattle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Whirrakee wattle |
|
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Acacia
|
| Species: |
williamsonii
|
 |
|
| Where the Whirrakee Wattle grows | |
The Acacia williamsonii, also known as Whirrakee wattle, is a special type of wattle plant. It grows naturally only in the Bendigo area of Victoria, Australia. You can also find it growing in some parts of Southern and Northern New South Wales.
What Does the Whirrakee Wattle Look Like?
This plant usually grows as a bushy shrub, reaching about 2 meters (6.5 feet) tall. Its branches are smooth. Like many wattle plants, it has special leaf-like parts called phyllodes instead of regular leaves.
These green phyllodes point upwards. They are long and thin, about 4 to 9 centimeters (1.5 to 3.5 inches) long. They are also very narrow, only about 1.5 to 3 millimeters (0.06 to 0.12 inches) wide. They are often a bit curved.
The Whirrakee wattle blooms from August to September. Its flowers are bright golden and grow in round clusters. Each cluster has about 15 to 20 flowers.
After the flowers, black seed pods grow. They are firm and look like a string of beads. These pods can be up to 9 centimeters (3.5 inches) long and 3.5 millimeters (0.14 inches) wide. Inside, they have shiny black seeds. The seeds are shaped like an oval and are about 3.5 to 4 millimeters (0.14 to 0.16 inches) long.
Where Does the Whirrakee Wattle Grow?
This wattle plant naturally grows only in central Victoria, Australia. You can find it from Inglewood in the south to Rushworth in the north. Many Whirrakee wattles grow in the Whipstick Forest near Bendigo.
It likes to grow in stony gravel or clay-loam soils. You can often find it in open Eucalyptus forests and mallee scrubland areas.
Images for kids
-
Where the Whirrakee Wattle grows
