Blake's wattle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Blake's wattle |
|
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Acacia
|
| Species: |
blakei
|
 |
|
| Acacia blakei occurrence data from Australasian Virtual Herbarium | |
Acacia blakei, often called Blake's wattle or Wollomombi wattle, is a type of shrub or small tree. It is part of the Acacia family, which includes many different kinds of wattles. This plant grows naturally in the northeastern parts of Australia.
What Blake's Wattle Looks Like
Blake's wattle usually grows as a straight tree, reaching heights of up to 15 meters (about 50 feet). It has grey bark that often looks cracked or grooved. Its branches are light green to brown. They can be a bit angled near the tips but are mostly round. Sometimes, they might look dusty or flaky.
Like most Acacia plants, Blake's wattle doesn't have regular leaves. Instead, it has special flattened stems called phyllodes that act like leaves. These phyllodes are flat and slightly curved, shaped like a long oval. They are usually between 5 and 17 centimeters (2 to 6.7 inches) long and 4 to 22 millimeters (0.16 to 0.87 inches) wide. They feel a bit like thin leather and are usually smooth. You can see two or three clear lines (nerves) running along them, plus a few fainter ones.
This wattle blooms between August and November. Its flowers grow in groups of one to three in the leaf axils (the angle between a leaf and a stem). The flower-heads are shaped like cylinders, about 2 to 6 centimeters (0.8 to 2.4 inches) long. The flowers themselves are yellow, pale yellow, or cream-colored.
After the flowers, seed pods grow. These pods are mostly flat, except where the seeds are. They are 3 to 10 centimeters (1.2 to 3.9 inches) long and 2 to 4 millimeters (0.08 to 0.16 inches) wide. The pods are smooth or slightly wrinkled and feel like firm paper or thin leather.
Naming Blake's Wattle
There are two main types, or subspecies, of Blake's wattle:
- Acacia blakei Pedley subsp. blakei
- Acacia blakei subsp. diphylla (Tindale) Pedley
The second part of the plant's scientific name, blakei, was chosen to honor a famous botanist named Stanley T. Blake (1911–1973). He used to work at the Queensland Herbarium, which is a place where plant collections are kept and studied.
Where Blake's Wattle Grows
Blake's wattle is found only in certain areas of Australia. It grows in central and eastern parts of southern Queensland, as far north as Emerald and the Blackdown Tableland. It also extends south into northeastern New South Wales, reaching areas around the Coxs River and Lake Yarrunga, which is southwest of Sydney.
You'll usually find this plant in dry sclerophyll forests and woodlands. These are types of forests where many plants have tough, leathery leaves to help them survive in dry conditions.
