Acacia brachyclada
Species of legume
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Acacia brachyclada is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a dense, rounded to spreading, sticky shrub with egg-shaped to elliptic or oblong phyllodes, spherical heads of golden-yellow flowers, and coiled, firmly papery pods somewhat like a string of beads.
| Acacia brachyclada | |
|---|---|
| |
| Near Pingrup | |
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. brachyclada |
| Binomial name | |
| Acacia brachyclada | |
 | |
| Acacia brachyclada occurrence data from Australasian Virtual Herbarium | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
|
Racosperma brachycladum (W.Fitzg.) Pedley | |
Description
Acacia brachyclada is a dense, rounded to spreading or low-domed, sticky shrub that typically grows to a height of 20–50 cm (7.9–19.7 in), and sometimes has arching branches. The phyllodes are egg-shaped to elliptic or oblong, 2–7 mm (0.079–0.276 in) long and 2–4 mm (0.079–0.157 in) wide with a point on the end. The flowers are borne in spherical heads in axils on a peduncle 3–6 mm (0.12–0.24 in) long, the heads with 12 to 16 golden-yellow flowers. Flowering occurs from August to February, and the pods are coiled, firmly papery, glabrous, somewhat like a string of beads, 2.5–4.5 mm (0.098–0.177 in) long with inflated oblong seeds 3–4 mm (0.12–0.16 in) long.[2][3]
Taxonomy
Acacia brachyclada was first formally described in 1912 by the botanist William Vincent Fitzgerald in the Journal of Botany, British and Foreign from specimens collected near Kellerberrin.[4][5] The specific epithet (brachyclada) means 'short shoot or branch'.[6]
Distribution and habitat
This species of wattle has a scattered distribution between Kununoppin, Ravenshorpe and Mount Ridley north of Esperance in the Avon Wheatbelt, Coolgardie, Esperance Plains and Mallee bioregions of south-western Western Australia. It is mostly found on gentle undulating plains and low lying areas where grows in clay, loam, sandy or calcareous soils in mallee scrub or woodland.[2][3][7]
Conservation status
Acacia brachyclada is listed as "not threatened" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.[7]