Cooavittra wattle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cooavittra wattle |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Acacia
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| Species: |
jennerae
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| Occurrence data from AVH | |
The Acacia jennerae is a special type of wattle tree or bush. People often call it the Coonavittra wattle. It belongs to the Acacia family. This plant is endemic, which means it naturally grows only in the dry, central parts of Australia.
What It Looks Like
This wattle usually grows to be about 1 to 6 meters (3 to 20 feet) tall. It can grow straight up or spread out. Its bark is smooth or has small cracks, and it's a tan to reddish-brown color. The young branches are smooth and don't have hairs. Their tips might be angled or flat.
Like many Acacia plants, the Coonavittra wattle doesn't have regular leaves. Instead, it has special leaf-like parts called phyllodes. These phyllodes stay green all year. They are smooth and shaped like a narrow oval, sometimes wider at the tip. They are usually 5 to 15 centimeters (2 to 6 inches) long and 5 to 25 millimeters (0.2 to 1 inch) wide. Each phyllode has a clear line down the middle. This wattle produces bright yellow flowers from January to August.
Its Name and History
A botanist named Joseph Maiden was the first to officially describe and name this plant. He did this in 1917 in a book called The Flora of the Northern Territory.
For a short time in 2003, another botanist, Leslie Pedley, changed its name to Racosperma jennerae. But in 2006, it was moved back to the Acacia group. The second part of its name, jennerae, honors Amelia Maud Jenner. She used to be the librarian at the Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney.
Where It Grows
The Coonavittra wattle is native to the Northern Territory in Australia. You can also find it growing in parts of Western Australia, especially in the Wheatbelt and Goldfields-Esperance regions. It also grows naturally in New South Wales, South Australia, and the far southwestern part of Queensland.
