Carson River wattle facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Carson River wattle
Conservation status
Priority One — Poorly Known Taxa (DEC)
Scientific classification
Genus:	Acacia
Species:	anastomosa

Acacia anastomosa, also known as Carson River wattle, is a shrub belonging to the genus Acacia and the subgenus Juliflorae that is endemic to north western Australia.

Description

The shrub typically grows to a height of 1 to 2 m (3 ft 3 in to 6 ft 7 in) and has a spindly habit. It has smooth brown coloured bark and angled glabrous branchlets that are dark red when immature and age to a grey colour. Like most species of Acacia it has phyllodes rather than true leaves. The evergreen phyllodes have a narrowly elliptic or occasionally obovate shape and are mostly dimidiate with straight or slightly convex lower margin. The phyllodes have a length of 5 to 9 cm (2.0 to 3.5 in) and a width of 15 to 25 mm (0.59 to 0.98 in) and possess two to four main longitudinal nerves that are mostly confluent with the lower margin at the base. It is known to bloom between April and June producing simple inflorescences situated on 8 to 17 mm (0.31 to 0.67 in) long stalks. The cylindrical flower-spikes have a length of 10 to 17 mm (0.39 to 0.67 in) and are densely packed with yellow coloured flowers. The seed pods that form after flowering have a narrowly oblong to narrowly oblanceolate shape that is narrowed towards the base. The crustaceous to sub-woody pods have a length of 5 to 10 cm (2.0 to 3.9 in) and a width of 7 to 10 mm (0.28 to 0.39 in) and are straight opening elastically from the apex.

Distribution

It is native to a small area in the Kimberley region of Western Australia found to the south of Kalumburu. The shrub grows on red volcanic soils as a part of open woodland communities associated with Eucalyptus tectifica, Corymbia greeniana and Erythrophleum chlorostachys.