''Acacia lirellata'' 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 south 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 bushy erect shrub typically grows to a height of and width of around and has a dense low-spreading habit. It has glabrous or minutely haired and straight to flexuose ribbed branchlets. 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 erect and flat evergreen phyllodes have a narrowly linear shape but can be curved or serpentinous. The glabrous phyllodes have a length of and a width of and are thick with eight prominent nerves. It blooms from June to August and produces yellow flowers. The simple inflorescences occur in pairs 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 and have an obloid to subglobular shape that is rarely cylindrical. They have a length of and a diameter of and are packed with golden flowers. The firmly crustaceous or thinly coriaceous seed pods that form after flowering resemble a string of beads and are straight or loosely coiled. The flat brown pods have a length of up to and a width of and have broad margins. The glossy dark brown seeds within the pods are arranged longitudinally. The seeds have an oblong-elliptic shape with a length of and have a terminal yellowish

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

There are two recognised subspecies: * ''Acacia lirellata'' subsp. ''compressa'' * ''Acacia lirellata'' subsp. ''lirellata''

Distribution

It is native to an area in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia around York where it is often situated on sand plains and grows in sandy, loamy or clay soils. The population is scattered between Coorow and Ballidu in the north down to around Waterbidden Rock and

Bruce Rock Bruce Rock is a town in the eastern Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, approximately east of Perth and southwest of Merredin. It is the main town in the Shire of Bruce Rock. History Originally known as Nunagin or Noonegin, the name of ...

in the south.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15287681 lirellata Acacias of Western Australia Plants described in 1999 Taxa named by Bruce Maslin

Description

Taxonomy

Distribution

See also

References