''Acacia acrionastes'' is a species of flowering plant in the family
and is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
to eastern Australia. It is a spindly,
glabrous shrub or tree with linear
phyllodes, flowers arranged in a
raceme
A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the s ...
s with 10 to 15 spherical heads of flowers, each with 12 to 16 creamy yellow flowers, and leathery
pods up to long.
Description
''Acacia acrionastes'' is a spindly, glabrous shrub or tree that typically grows to a height of . It has linear
phyllode
Phyllodes are modified petioles or leaf stems, which are leaf-like in appearance and function. In some plants, these become flattened and widened, while the leaf itself becomes reduced or vanishes altogether. Thus the phyllode comes to serve the ...
s that are long and wide and often narrower towards the tip. The flowers are arranged in a raceme long with 10 to 16 heads on a
peduncle Peduncle may refer to:
*Peduncle (botany), a stalk supporting an inflorescence, which is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed
*Peduncle (anatomy), a stem, through which a mass of tissue is attached to a body
**Peduncle (art ...
long, each head with 12 to 16 creamy yellow flowers. Flowering mainly occurs between July and August and the fruit is a leathery pod up to long and wide, containing up to nine seeds with a shiny black, club-shaped
aril
An aril (pronounced ), also called an arillus, is a specialized outgrowth from a seed that partly or completely covers the seed. An arillode or false aril is sometimes distinguished: whereas an aril grows from the attachment point of the see ...
.
Taxonomy
The species was first formally described by the
botanist
Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...
Leslie Pedley in 1990 in the journal ''
Austrobaileya'' from specimens collected on the lower slopes of
Mount Maroon
Mount Maroon is a mountain in South East Queensland that is part of the McPherson Range. The mountain rises to above sea level about 12 km west of Rathdowney.
The original indigenous name for the mountain is Wahlmoorum which means sand go ...
in 1986.
The
specific epithet
In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...
(''acrionastes'') means "hilltop-occupant".
Distribution and habitat
''Acacia acrionastes'' grows in shallow, rocky soils and among rocks on mountain peaks and is found in north western
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
where it is considered rare and
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
where it is more common.
See also
* List of ''Acacia'' species
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q9561821
acrionastes
Flora of New South Wales
Flora of Queensland
Plants described in 1990
Taxa named by Leslie Pedley