Acacia aculeatissima, commonly known as thin-leaf wattle or snake wattle,[2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to south-eastern continental Australia. It is usually a prostrate shrub with sharply pointed, needle-shaped phyllodes, flowers arranged in up to 3 more or less spherical heads of 15 to 25 flowers, and linear, papery pods up to 60 mm (2.4 in) long.
| Thin-leaf wattle | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Caesalpinioideae |
| Clade: | Mimosoid clade |
| Genus: | Acacia |
| Species: | A. aculeatissima
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| Binomial name | |
| Acacia aculeatissima | |
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| Occurrence data from AVH | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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Description edit
Acacia aculeatissima is an open, prostrate shrub that typically grows to a height of up to 50 cm (20 in), rarely to 1 m (3 ft 3 in) and has finely ribbed, hairy branchlets. Its phyllodes are needle-shaped, curved backwards, 5–12 mm (0.20–0.47 in) long and 0.5–1 mm (0.020–0.039 in) wide and sharply pointed. Up to 3 usually spherical heads of flowers are borne in the axils of phyllodes on a peduncle 5–13 mm (0.20–0.51 in) long, each head with 15 to 25 pale yellow to yellow flowers. Flowering occurs between August and November and the pod is straight or slightly curved and papery, 30–60 mm (1.2–2.4 in) long and 2–4 mm (0.079–0.157 in) wide containing oblong seeds 3.5–4.0 mm (0.14–0.16 in) long.[2][3][4][5]
Taxonomy edit
Acacia aculeatissima was first formally described in 1919 by the American botanist James Francis Macbride in 1919 in the article Notes on certain Leguminosae s published in the Contributions of the Gray Herbarium of Harvard University from specimens collected "in dry stony ranges near Ballarat, towards the Goulburn and Broken Rivers" in 1853.[6][7] The specific epithet (aculeatissima) means "very prickly or thorny".[4]
This species is included in the subgenus Phyllodineae.[8]
Distribution and habitat edit
This species of wattle often grows in rocky areas in woodland, forest and heath in soils derived from sedimentary rocks, and occurs south from Mount Imlay in New South Wales, and in the southern part of Victoria where it is more common.[3][9]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b "Acacia aculeatissima". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
- ^ a b "Acacia aculeatissima J.F.Macbr". Wattle - Acacias of Australia. Department of the Environment and Energy. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
- ^ a b "Acacia aculeatissima J.F.Macbr". PlantNet. Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
- ^ a b Maslin, Bruce R.; Kodela, Philip G. "Acacis aculeatissima". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Canberra. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
- ^ "Acacia aculeatissima". World Wide Wattle. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
- ^ "Acacia aculeatissima". APNI. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
- ^ Macbride, James F. (1919). "Notes on certain Leguminosae". Contributions of the Gray Herbarium of Harvard University. 59: 6–7. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
- ^ "Acacia aculeatissima". World Wide Wattle. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
- ^ Entwisle, Timothy J.; Maslin, Bruce R.; Cowan, Richard S.; Court, Arthur B. "Acacia aculeatissima". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Retrieved 1 May 2024.