''Acacia chalkeri'', also known as Chalker's 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 ...
'' and the subgenus ''Phyllodineae'' that is native to parts of eastern 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 has a bushy habit and typically grows to a height of and has angled reddish brown branchlets. The thin grey green 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 are ascending to erect with an oblanceolate shape and a length of and a width of with a fine but distinct midrib and obscure lateral nerves. The plant blooms between October and January producing yellow inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...
s. The inflorescences appear in clusters of six to eight with spherical dense flower heads containing 18 to 23 bright yellow flowers. The seed pod
This page provides a glossary of plant morphology. Botanists and other biologists who study plant morphology use a number of different terms to classify and identify plant organs and parts that can be observed using no more than a handheld magnify ...
s that form after flowering have a length of around and a width of . The shiny black seeds within the pods have an oblong to elliptic shape and a length of .
Taxonomy
The species was first formally described by the botanist Joseph Maiden
Joseph Henry Maiden (25 April 1859 – 16 November 1925) was a botanist who made a major contribution to knowledge of the Australian flora, especially the genus ''Eucalyptus''. This botanist is denoted by the author abbreviation when citing ...
in 1916 as part of the work ''Notes on Acacia, (with description of new species)'' as published in the ''Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales''. It was reclassified as ''Racosperma chalkeri'' in 2003 by Leslie Pedley
Leslie Pedley (19 May 1930 – 27 November 2018)IPNILeslie Pedley/ref> was an Australian botanist who specialised in the genus ''Acacia''. He is notable for bringing into use the generic name ''Racosperma'', creating a split in the genus, which r ...
then transferred back to the genus ''Acacia'' in 2006.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 ...
honours Thomas Michael Chalker who worked as a caretaker at Wombeyan Caves.[
]
Distribution
It is found in a small area around the Wombeyan Caves
The Wombeyan Caves are caves that have formed in marble, in the Wombeyan Karst Conservation Reserve, New South Wales, Australia. Wombeyan Caves is a tourist attraction and local holiday area, as well as a reserve for endangered species, such as ...
in south 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 grows in shallow limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
soils[ as a part of dry open woodland and sclerophyll forest communities.]
See also
* List of ''Acacia'' species
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q15289468
chalkeri
Flora of New South Wales
Plants described in 1916
Taxa named by Joseph Maiden