Acacia aristulata

''Acacia aristulata'', also known as Watheroo wattle, is a shrub belonging to the genus ''Acacia'' and the subgenus ''Phyllodineae'' endemic to Western Australia.

Description

The erect or scrambling shrub typically grows to a height of and with a width of up to . It blooms from September to December and produces lemon- yellow to creamy-white flowers. The spherical flower heads can last until January or February and the seed pods take around a year to become mature.

Taxonomy

The species was first formally described by the botanist Bruce Maslin in 199 as part of the work ''Acacia miscellany. The taxonomy of fifty-five species of Acacia, primarily Western Australian, in section Phyllodineae (Leguminosae: Mimosoideae)'' as published in the journal '' Nuytsia''. It was reclassified as ''Racosperma aristulatum'' in 2003 by Leslie Pedley, then transferred back to the genus ''Acacia'' in 2005.

Distribution

It is native to an area on the Lesueur sandplain in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia. The shrub is found between Moora and Watheroo and is known in four localities extending within a range of approximately .

Habitat

It is most often situated among rocky outcrops on top of low rocky ridges and hills growing in sandy-loamy-clay soils over granite and chert. The shrub is often a part of '' Allocasuarina'' woodland or low open shrubland communities. Species commonly associated with ''Acacia aristulata'' include ''Allocasuarina huegeliana'', '' Diplolaena angustifolium'', ''Dianella revoluta'' and '' Dryandra sessilis''.

See also

* List of ''Acacia'' species

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15289608

aristulata
Acacias of Western Australia
Plants described in 1999
Taxa named by Bruce Maslin