''Acacia calligera'' is a bush 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 ...

'' and the subgenus ''Juliflorae'' across northern

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

Description

The shrub typically grows to a height of and has a spreading habit that can be flat-topped. The glabrous and resinous branchlets with prominent ribbing. Like most species of ''Acacia'' it has

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 rather than true leaves. The patent to ascending phyllodes usually have an ovate to elliptic or oblong-elliptic shape that straight to slightly recurved at the apices. The evergreen grey-green phyllodes have a length of and a width of have five to seven yellowish marginal nerves that are widely spaced and the central nerve being more pronounced than the other. It blooms between February and August producing yellow flowers.

Distribution

It is native to a few small areas of the

Kimberley Kimberly or Kimberley may refer to: Places and historical events Australia * Kimberley (Western Australia) ** Roman Catholic Diocese of Kimberley * Kimberley Warm Springs, Tasmania * Kimberley, Tasmania a small town * County of Kimberley, a ...

region of Western Australia extending through the

Barkly Tableland The Barkly Tableland is a rolling plain of grassland in Australia. It runs from the eastern part of the Northern Territory into western Queensland. It is one of the five regions in the Northern Territory and covers , 21% of the Northern Terr ...

and

Katherine Region The Katherine Region, known as "Big River Country", is one of five major regions in the Northern Territory, Australia. It is situated just below the tropical Top End. The Katherine region covers an area of , and has a population of 18,646, mak ...

in the top end of the Northern Territory and into the Normanton area of Queensland. It is often situated on plains, ridges or escarpments where it if found growing in red, sand or clay loam soils that are often skeletal or

lateritic Laterite is both a soil and a rock type rich in iron and aluminium and is commonly considered to have formed in hot and wet tropical areas. Nearly all laterites are of rusty-red coloration, because of high iron oxide content. They develop by ...

in nature as a part of shrubland or open '' Eucalyptus'' savannah woodland communities that have a spinifex or grass understorey.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q10296265 calligera Acacias of Western Australia Flora of the Northern Territory Flora of Queensland Plants described in 2006 Taxa named by Leslie Pedley

Description

Distribution

See also

References