Net-veined wattle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Net-veined wattle |
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|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Acacia
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| Species: |
retivenea
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| Occurrence data from AVH | |
The Net-veined wattle (scientific name: Acacia retivenea) is a type of shrub that belongs to the Acacia family. It's a special plant because it's found only in northern Australia. This means it's an endemic species there.
What the Net-veined Wattle Looks Like
This plant is an upright shrub that usually grows to be about 1 to 3 meters (3 to 10 feet) tall. Its small branches have oval-shaped stipules, which are like tiny leaf-like parts at the base of a leaf stalk. These stipules are rounded at the bottom and are about 2 to 3 millimeters long and 1.5 to 2 millimeters wide. They are covered with soft, woolly hairs.
Like most Acacia plants, the Net-veined wattle doesn't have true leaves. Instead, it has what are called phyllodes. These phyllodes are flattened leaf stalks that look and act like leaves. They are a silvery-green color and have a broad oval or nearly round shape. Each phyllode is about 3.5 to 6.5 centimeters long and 30 to 60 millimeters wide. You can usually see about five main veins running through them, with a clear network of smaller veins branching off. This plant blooms with yellow flowers from April to October.
How Scientists Named It
The Net-veined wattle was first officially described by a botanist named Ferdinand von Mueller in 1863. He wrote about it in his work called Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae.
Later, in 1987, another botanist named Leslie Pedley changed its scientific name to Racosperma retiveneum. But then, in 2001, it was moved back to the Acacia group. Another name for this plant, which is considered a "synonym" (meaning an older or alternative name), is Acacia retivenia. This name was given by George Bentham in 1863.
There are also two known types of this plant, called subspecies:
- Acacia retivenea subsp. clandestina
- Acacia retivenea subsp. retivenea
Where the Net-veined Wattle Grows
This shrub naturally grows in several parts of Australia. You can find it in the Kimberley, Pilbara, and northern Goldfields-Esperance regions of Western Australia. It often grows along creek beds, on rocky areas, and on hillsides. It prefers sandy or loamy soils.
The area where it grows stretches from around Fitzroy Crossing in the southwest to the Wunaamin-Miliwundi Ranges in the northwest. It also extends eastward into the Northern Territory and across the top end to places like Mount Isa in central Queensland. There are also some smaller groups of these plants found around Pine Creek, Northern Territory and the Reynolds Range in the Northern Territory, and Torrens Creek in Queensland.
The Net-veined wattle usually grows in areas with tall shrubs or open woodlands. It is often found alongside the Eucalyptus brevifolia tree and different types of Triodia grasses.
