Acacia amyctica is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect, bushy shrub with ascending to erect, narrowly lance-shaped, sharply-pointed phyllodes with the narrower end towards the base, spherical heads of 18 to 25 golden flowers, and linear to strongly curved pods.
| Acacia amyctica | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Caesalpinioideae |
| Clade: | Mimosoid clade |
| Genus: | Acacia |
| Species: | A. amyctica
|
| Binomial name | |
| Acacia amyctica | |
Description
editAcacia amyctica is an erect, bushy, cone-shaped shrub with the narrower end towards the base and that typically grows to a height of 0.7–1 m (2 ft 4 in – 3 ft 3 in). It has smooth, light-grey coloured bark and slightly ribbed, sparsely hairy branchlets. Its phyllodes are ascending to erect, narrowly lance-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, or elliptic, 15–25 mm (0.59–0.98 in) long and 2.5–4 mm (0.098–0.157 in) wide with a sharply-pointed tip and many, more or less parallel veins. The flowers are borne in 2 spherical heads in axils on a peduncle 3.0–3.5 mm (0.12–0.14 in) in diameter, each head with 18 to 25 golden-yellow flowers. Flowering occurs in August and September, and the fruit is a linear to strongly curved pod, 600 mm (24 in) long and about 3 mm (0.12 in) wide.[2][3][4][5]
Taxonomy
editAcacia amyctica was first formally described in 1995 by Richard Sumner Cowan and Bruce Maslin in the journal Nuytsia from specimens collected near Salmon Gums in 1983.[4][6] The specific epithet (amyctica) means "sharp", referring to the phyllodes.[4]
Distribution
editThis species of Acacia grows in flat, low woodland or in open mallee shrubland, its distribution limited to mostly between Salmon Gums and Grass Patch, but also in Peak Charles National Park and around Dunn Swamp.[3][4]
Conservation status
editAcacia amystica is listed as "Priority Two" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions[5] meaning it may be threatened but is poorly known, only occurring in a few locations.[7]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Acacia amyctica". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
- ^ Maslin, Bruce R.; Cowan, Richard S. Kodela, Phillip G. (ed.). "Acacia amyctica". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Canberra. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
- ^ a b "Acacia amyctica". World Wide Wattle. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
- ^ a b c d Maslin, Bruce R. (1995). "Acacia Miscellany 13. Taxonomy of some Western Australian phyllocladinous and aphyllodinous taxa (Leguminosae: Mimosoideae)". Nuytsia. 10 (2): 222–223. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
- ^ a b "Acacia amyctica". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
- ^ "Acacia amyctica". APNI. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
- ^ "Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna" (PDF). Government of Western Australia Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. Retrieved 20 July 2024.