''Acacia anomala'', commonly known as grass wattle is a shrub belonging to the genus ''
Acacia
''Acacia'', commonly known as the wattles or acacias, is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa and Australasia. The genus na ...
''. It is native to a small area along the west coast of
Western Australia,
and is listed as a vulnerable species under the Western Australian Wildlife Conservation Act and the Commonwealth Environmental Protection Act.
[SPRAT (Species Profile and Threats database): ''Acacia anomala'']
Retrieved 16 November 2018.
Description
The shrub has a slender rush-like habit and typically grows to a height of .[ It has a multi-stemmed base with narrowly winged upper stems. There are few to no ]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 which have a linear to narrowly elliptic shape and are in length and have a width of .[ The simple inflorescences are supported on glabrous peduncles that are long. The flower spikes are usually . Seed pods form later that have a linear shape and are in length and . The seeds in the pod are in length with an oblong shape.][
]
Taxonomy
The species was first formally described by Arthur Bertram Court
Arthur Bertram Court (25 December 1927 – 18 May 2012) was an Australian botanist
He grew up in the Dandenong Ranges in Victoria where he became interested in local flora especially ferns and orchids. Court graduated and received his Bachelor o ...
in 1978 as part of the work ''Three new species of Acacia (Mimosaceae) from Western Australia'' published in the journal '' Nuytsia''.[Court, A.B. (1978]
Three new species of ''Acacia'' (Mimosaceae) from Western Australia.
''Nuytsia'' 2(4) 168-177. It was briefly reclassified by Leslie Pedley in 2003 as ''Racosperma anomalum'',[ then back to the original name in 2006, with the dispute being finally resolved in 2011.]Acacia
''Acacia'', commonly known as the wattles or acacias, is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa and Australasia. The genus na ...
''.)
The type specimen was collected by Charles Austin Gardner
Charles Austin Gardner (6 January 1896 – 24 February 1970) was an English-born Western Australian botanist.
Biography
Born in Lancaster, in England, on 6 January 1896, Gardner emigrated to Western Australia with his family in 1909, whe ...
and H.H.Kretchmar in 1961 between Muchea and Chittering.[ It is very similar in appearance to '' Acacia applanata''.][
]
Distribution
The species has a very small range, confined to an area between Chittering, Swan
Swans are birds of the family (biology), family Anatidae within the genus ''Cygnus''. The swans' closest relatives include the goose, geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form t ...
and Kalamunda where it grows on the slopes of the Darling Range in lateritic soils.[ It is mostly found as part of '' Eucalyptus'' woodland communities.][
]
See also
*List of Acacia species
Several Cladistics, cladistic analyses have shown that the genus ''Acacia sensu lato, Acacia'' is not monophyletic. While the subg. ''Acacia'' and subg. ''Phyllodinae'' are monophyletic, subg. ''Aculeiferum'' is not. This subgenus consists of thr ...
References
External links
Google image search: ''Acacia anomala''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q9562204
anomala
''Anomala'' is a genus of shining leaf chafers in the family of beetles known as Scarabaeidae. There are at least 1,200 described species in ''Anomala''.
A common characteristic behavior of beetles in ''Anomala'' is that most grubs of these ...
Acacias of Western Australia
Plants described in 1978
Fabales of Australia
Taxa named by Charles Gardner