Balcanoona wattle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Balcanoona Wattle |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Acacia
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| Species: |
araneosa
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The Balcanoona Wattle (scientific name: Acacia araneosa) is a special type of shrub. People also call it the Spidery Wattle because of its long, thin leaves. It's a kind of Acacia plant, and it grows naturally in South Australia.
What Does the Balcanoona Wattle Look Like?
The Balcanoona Wattle is a small, upright shrub. It usually grows to be about 3 to 8 meters (10 to 26 feet) tall. It has pretty yellow flowers that can bloom at different times throughout the year.
Its branches are thin, smooth, and reddish-brown. The plant has very long, hanging "leaves" called phyllodes. These phyllodes are actually flattened stems that look and act like leaves. They are usually round or square-shaped. They can be 18 to 35 centimeters (7 to 14 inches) long, but some can grow as long as 69 centimeters (27 inches)! They are very narrow, only about 1 to 2 millimeters wide, and they get thinner towards the end.
Where Does the Balcanoona Wattle Grow?
The Balcanoona Wattle grows in a specific part of central South Australia. You can find it in the northern Flinders Ranges, from a place called Balcanoona all the way to Arkaroola.
It likes dry, rocky areas. You'll often see it on rocky slopes, ridges, and hills where the soil is thin and stony. It often grows as part of open woodlands or shrublands. It shares its home with other plants like the Eucalyptus gillii and Triodia irritans.
How Was This Plant Named?
A botanist named D.J.E. Whibley first officially described the Balcanoona Wattle in 1976. He wrote about it in a scientific paper. For a short time in 2003, it was given a different scientific name, Racosperma araneosum. But by 2005, scientists decided to move it back to the Acacia group, which is where it belongs today.
