''Acacia leptostachya'', commonly known as Townsville wattle
[ or slender wattle, is a shrub or small 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 native to north 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 or tree typically grows to a maximum height of . It has hairy ribbed branchlets with resinous young shoots. 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 evergreen phyllodes have silvery coloured hairs and a narrowly elliptic to lanceolate shape that can be straight or shallowly curved. The phyllodes have a length of and a width of and contain many fine, rather closely packed veins, with two or three that are more prominent.aril
An aril (pronounced ), also called an arillus, is a specialized outgrowth from a seed that partly or completely covers the seed. An arillode or false aril is sometimes distinguished: whereas an aril grows from the attachment point of the see ...
.[
]
Taxonomy
Th species was first formally described by the botanist George Bentham in 1864 as part of the work '' Flora Australiensis'', it was reclassified as ''Racosperma leptostachyum'' by Leslie Pedley in 1987 then transferred back to genus ''Acacia'' in 2001. Other synonyms include ''Acacia capillosa'' and ''Acacia argentea'' and is commonly confused with '' Acacia conspersa''.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 ...
is derived from the Greek words ''lepto'' meaning slender and ''stachys'' meaning ear of corn in reference to the shape of the flower spikes.[
]
Distribution
It is endemic to central-eastern parts of Cape York Peninsula from around Coen in the north extending through coastal and inland areas to around Maryborough and south of Charleville in the south. It is found in a variety of habitat growing in deep sandy or skeletal soils overlaying granite or sandstone bedrock as a part of '' Eucalyptus'' woodland communities or Triodia grasslands.[
]
Cultivation
The shrub or tree grows well a full sun position in dry well drained soils. It can be propagated from seed after seeds are scarified or treated with boiling water.
See also
* List of ''Acacia'' species
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q9566282
leptostachya
Endemic flora of Queensland
Taxa named by George Bentham
Plants described in 1864