''Acacia lacertensis'' is a tree 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'' that is
endemic to tropical parts of northern central
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 slender tree with an open crown typically grows to a height of around . It blooms from June to July producing yellow flowers.
[ It has stout angular branchlets that are glabrous with a powdery white coating. The straight to sigmoid ]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 attenuate at the base with a length of in length and a width of . The phyllodes have two to three prominent fine longitudinal nerves that are widely spaced. The flower-spikes are found occurring in pairs and are found on shoots located on the upper axil
A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, st ...
s. The spikes are and loosely packed with golden yellow flowers. The straight seed pods that form after flowering are in length and around wide with convex valves over the seeds and prominent marginal nerves. The obloid-shaped seeds are arranged longitudinally within the pods and are around in length and wide.[
It is closely related to '']Acacia tropica
''Acacia tropica'' is a shrub or small tree native to tropical areas northern Australia.
Description
The tree or tall shrub typically grows to a height of and has sparsely arranged whippy branches. It has smooth red-brown to grey-brown colour ...
'' which is found further to the east in the Gulf Country
The Gulf Country is the region of woodland and savanna grassland surrounding the Gulf of Carpentaria in north western Queensland and eastern Northern Territory on the north coast of Australia. The region is also called the Gulf Savannah. It ...
.[
]
Distribution
The species is found in northern parts of the Northern Territory on the north western edges of the Arnhemland sandstone plateau.
See also
* List of ''Acacia'' species
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q15287490
lacertensis
Flora of the Northern Territory
Plants described in 1999
Taxa named by Leslie Pedley