''Acacia levata'' 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'' that is endemic to small arid area of western

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 spreading multi-stemmed shrub typically grows to a height of and a width of around . The glabrous branchlets are commonly sericeous at the extremities. 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 patent to ascending phyllodes have a narrowly elliptic to oblong-elliptic shape and are straight or shallowly curved. The phyllodes have a length of and a wisth of and are sub-rigid and thickly coriaceous with four to six prominent main nerves on each side. The simple inflorescences occur singly or in small groups in the

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 cylindrical flower-spikes have a diameter of around and a length of and are densely packed with golden flowers. The pendent seed pods that form after flowering have a linear shape with narrow wings and are straight to slightly curved. Th woody, glabrous pods have a length up to around and a width of and attain a yellowish brown colour as they dry and also become slightly wrinkled. The dull brown seeds inside the pods have a broadly elliptic to subcircular shape with a length of and have a ribbon-like funicle and a subterminal

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 ...

Distribution

It is native to a small area in the Pilbara region of Western Australia north of

Newman Newman is a surname of English origin and may refer to many people: The surname Newman is widespread in the core Anglosphere. A *Abram Newman (1736–1799), British grocer *Adrian Newman (disambiguation), multiple people *Al Newman (born 1960) ...

and south of Marble Bar where it is often situated on hilltops and hillslopes growing in sandy or loamy soils over granite usually as a part of scrubland and spinifex communities and it is often associated with '' Acacia hilliana'' and ''

Acacia stellaticeps ''Acacia stellaticeps'', commonly known as the Northern star wattle, poverty bush and glistening wattle. Indigenous Australians the Nyangumarta peoples know the bush as pirrnyur or pirrinyurru and the Ngarla peoples know it as panmangu. It is a s ...

''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15287612 levata Acacias of Western Australia Taxa named by Bruce Maslin Plants described in 1995

Description

Distribution

See also

References