''Acacia hilliana'', commonly known as Hill's tabletop wattle but also known as sandhill wattle and Hilltop 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 ''Juliflorae''. It is native to northern Australia. The

Indigenous Australian Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

peoples the Banyjima know it as ''Bundaljingu'' and the Nyangumarta know it as ''Puntanungu''.

Description

The low spreading, viscid shrub typically grows to a height of . The obscurely ribbed branches normally spread horizontally giving the shrub a flat-topped appearance. The green to 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 solitary or sometimes in clusters of two or three at the nodes. Each phyllode is in length and has a diameter of about and are straight or curve shallowly upward. It blooms from March to October producing golden yellow flowers. The simple

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 have an erect flower spike that is in length. Following flowering flat, thick and linear dark brown

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 with a length of and a width of . The erect and woody pods are sticky with resin and have an odour resembling like citronella or lemon grass. The ellipsoidal dull to slightly shiny brown seeds are long.

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 1917 as part of the

Alfred James Ewart Alfred James Ewart, FRS (12 February 1872 – 12 September 1937) was an English-Australian botanist. Early life and education Ewart was born in Toxteth Park, Liverpool, England, second son of Edmund Brown Ewart, B.A. and his wife, Martha ...

and Olive Blanche Davies work ''Appendix IV: Acacias of the Northern Territory. The Flora of the Northern Territory''. It was reclassified as ''Racosperma hillianum'' 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 ...

in 1987 then transferred back the genus ''Acacia'' in 2001. The species name honours Gerald Freer Hill who collected the type specimen used by Maiden to prepare the description of the plant.

Distribution

In Western Australia it is scattered throughout 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 ...

and

Pilbara The Pilbara () is a large, dry, thinly populated region in the north of Western Australia. It is known for its Aboriginal peoples; its ancient landscapes; the red earth; and its vast mineral deposits, in particular iron ore. It is also a glo ...

regions of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

usually on rocky ranges and plateaus, among sand dunes and on sand plains growing in red sandy and stony soils. It is also found in the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...

and extends into far western

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15287270 hilliana Acacias of Western Australia Flora of the Northern Territory Plants described in 1917 Taxa named by Joseph Maiden

Description

Taxonomy

Distribution

See also

References