Costin's wattle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Costin's wattle |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Acacia
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| Species: |
costiniana
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| Occurrence data from AVH | |
Acacia costiniana, commonly known as Costin's wattle, is a type of shrub. It belongs to the large group of plants called Acacia. This wattle is special because it grows only in eastern Australia.
What Does Costin's Wattle Look Like?
This shrub usually grows to be about 0.6 to 2 meters (2 to 6.5 feet) tall. It can grow straight up, or its branches might hang down or spread out.
Its small branches have tiny hairs and small leaf-like parts called stipules, which are 1 to 3 millimeters long. Like most Acacia plants, Costin's wattle has phyllodes instead of true leaves. Phyllodes are flattened leaf stems that look and act like leaves.
- The phyllodes are always green and grow close together.
- They usually point upwards and have an oval or elliptical shape.
- Each phyllode is about 1 to 2 centimeters (0.4 to 0.8 inches) long and 5 to 11 millimeters (0.2 to 0.4 inches) wide.
- They have fine, straight hairs that lie flat on their surface.
- The main vein in the phyllode is slightly off-center, and other side veins are hard to see.
Costin's wattle blooms between August and September. It produces simple or clustered flower groups called inflorescences. The flower-heads are round or slightly oval, about 6 millimeters (0.2 inches) long. Each one has 14 to 26 bright golden or lemon yellow flowers.
After the flowers, thin, leathery seed pods form. These pods are covered in soft, rusty-colored or silvery-rusty hairs. They are narrow and oblong, growing up to 5 centimeters (2 inches) long and 10 to 12 millimeters (0.4 to 0.5 inches) wide. Inside, the seeds are shiny black, oval or oblong-shaped, and 4 to 6 millimeters (0.16 to 0.24 inches) long. Each seed has a club-shaped attachment called an aril.
How Scientists Named This Wattle
The first official description of Costin's wattle was made by a botanist named Mary Tindale. She described it in 1980 in a scientific journal called Telopea.
Later, in 2003, another scientist named Leslie Pedley reclassified it. He gave it the name Racosperma costinianum. However, in 2006, it was moved back to the Acacia group, where it is known as Acacia costiniana today.
Where Does Costin's Wattle Grow?
Costin's wattle grows naturally in the southeastern parts of New South Wales, Australia. You can find it in an area stretching from Captains Flat down to Bombala.
It often grows on rocky slopes in dry sclerophyll forests and heath communities. These are types of forests with tough, leathery-leaved plants. It usually grows at an altitude of about 1200 meters (3,900 feet) above sea level. You might see it on slopes made of granite rock, in gullies, or sometimes in heath areas near swamps. It is often found as part of Eucalyptus forests or woodlands.
