Orange-flowered wattle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Orange-flowered wattle |
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|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Acacia
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| Species: |
auratiflora
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| Acacia auratiflora occurrence data from Australasian Virtual Herbarium | |
The orange-flowered wattle (scientific name: Acacia auratiflora) is a special kind of shrub found in Western Australia. It's part of the large Acacia family, which includes many types of wattles. This beautiful plant is quite rare and is listed as an endangered species, meaning it's at risk of disappearing forever.
Contents
What Does the Orange-flowered Wattle Look Like?
This wattle is a bushy plant that spreads out and can grow to be about 1 to 3 feet (0.3 to 1 meter) tall. It blooms during July and August, showing off its bright yellow-orange flowers.
Leaves and Flowers
The leaves of the orange-flowered wattle are actually flattened stems called phyllodes. They are long and thin, about 0.8 to 1.6 inches (2 to 4 centimeters) in length, and have a small hook at the tip.
The flowers grow in single, round heads, each about 0.2 to 0.3 inches (5 to 7 millimeters) across. Each flower head contains 30 to 42 golden to orange flowers. These flower heads grow where the phyllodes meet the stem. After the flowers bloom, fuzzy seed pods covered in light golden hairs start to form.
How Scientists Name and Classify Plants
Scientists use a system called taxonomy to name and group living things. This helps them understand how different species are related.
Who Discovered and Named This Wattle?
The orange-flowered wattle was first officially described by two botanists, Richard Sumner Cowan and Bruce Maslin, in 1999. They published their findings in a science journal called Nuytsia.
For a short time, another scientist, Leslie Pedley, gave it a different name, Racosperma auratiflorum, in 2003. However, Acacia auratiflora is the name that is used today.
The very first sample of this plant that scientists studied, called the type specimen, was collected by Mary Tindale in 1973. She found it about 22 miles (35 kilometers) east of a place called Lake Grace.
Where Does the Orange-flowered Wattle Live?
The orange-flowered wattle is native to a specific area in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia. It only grows in a small area between the towns of Lake Grace and Newdegate.
Its Habitat and Neighbors
In 2009, a survey found only 15 groups of these plants, with about 1,200 mature plants in total. They were spread out over an area of about 150 square miles (390 square kilometers).
This wattle prefers to grow in sandy clay soils, and sometimes in sandy loams with clay. You can often find it along natural water paths or in low areas on plains that can fill with water temporarily after rain. It grows among open shrublands with small eucalyptus trees or in woodlands with taller Eucalyptus salubris trees and thickets of Melaleuca shrubs.
Some of the other plants that grow alongside the orange-flowered wattle include various types of Eucalyptus and Melaleuca species like Melaleuca uncinata, M. adnata, and M. lateriflora. You might also find Grevillia huegelii and Phebalium filifolium growing nearby.
