''Acacia chrysocephala'' 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''.

Description

The dense, compact and spiny shrub typically grows to a height of . It blooms from May to October and produces yellow flowers. The inequilateral

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 have an obtriangular to shallowly obtriangular shape with a margin congruent with branchlet. The glabrous phyllodes are in length and and are commonly pungent. The simple inflorescences usually occur with one per axil forming globular flower heads with two to four flowers per head. Following flowering shallowly curved seed pods form with a length of up to and a width of . The shiny brown longitudinally oblong seeds are long.

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 ...

Bruce Maslin in 1978 as part of the work ''Studies in the genus Acacia (Mimosaceae) - A revision of the Uninerves - Triangulares, in part (the tetramerous species)'' as published in the journal '' Nuytsia''. Synonyms for this species include ''Racosperma chrysocephalum'' and ''Acacia biflora'' var. ''aurea''. ''A. '' is a member of the ''

Acacia biflora ''Acacia biflora'', commonly known as two-flowered acacia, is a shrub belonging to the genus ''Acacia'' and the subgenus ''Phyllodineae''. Description The prostrate to ascending, erect, open or dense shrub typically grows to a height of . It bl ...

'' group and is related to ''

Acacia incrassata ''Acacia incrassata'' is a shrub belonging to the genus ''Acacia'' and the subgenus ''Phyllodineae'' that is endemic to south western Australia. Description The erect pungent shrub typically grows to a height of . It is able to spread by subterr ...

''.

Distribution

It is native to an area in the Great Southern, Wheatbelt and the Goldfields-Esperance regions of Western Australia where it grows in sandy or clay soils over

laterite 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 ...

. The distribution is scattered from around York extending south to around the

Stirling Range The Stirling Range or Koikyennuruff is a range of mountains and hills in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, south-east of Perth. It is over wide from west to east, stretching from the highway between Mount Barker and Cranb ...

and east as far as Scaddan. It is found in '' Eucalyptus wandoo'' woodlands, '' Eucalyptus marginata'' forests, in mallee scrub and sometimes in low heath communities.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15289651 chrysocephala Acacias of Western Australia Plants described in 1978 Taxa named by Bruce Maslin

Description

Taxonomy

Distribution

See also

References