''Acacia meisneri'' 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 ''Phyllodineae'' that is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
to an area in 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 dense much-branched shrub typically grows to a height of .
[ It has a funnel-shaped or rounded habit with glabrous branchlets that are usually covered with a fine, white powdery coating. 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 grey to grey-green coloured phyllodes have an elliptic to oblanceolate or obovate shape with a length of and a width of that are obtuse to acute with one nerve per face and a powdery white coating.[ but can flower sporadically throughout the year.][
]
Taxonomy
The species was first formally described in 1842 by Johann Georg Christian Lehmann as part of the work ''Delectus Seminum quae in Horto Hamburgensium botanico e collectione''. It was later described by Carl Meissner in 1844 in ''Plantae Preissianae
''Plantae preissianae sive enumeratio plantarum quas in australasia occidentali et meridionali-occidentali annis 1838-1841 collegit Ludovicus Preiss'', more commonly known as ''Plantae preissianae'', is a book written by Johann Georg Christian Leh ...
''. It was reclassified as ''Racosperma meisneri'' 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 2003 then transferred back to genus ''Acacia'' in 2006.
Distribution
It is native to an area in the Wheatbelt region 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 ...
where it is commonly found growing in clay, sandy, loamy and sometimes rocky soils.Eucalyptus wandoo
''Eucalyptus wandoo'', commonly known as wandoo, dooto, warrnt or wornt, is a small to medium-sized tree that is endemic to the southwest of Western Australia. It has smooth bark, lance-shaped adult leaves, flower buds in groups of nine to sev ...
'' communities.[
]
See also
* List of ''Acacia'' species
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q15287803
meisneri
Acacias of Western Australia
Taxa named by Carl Meissner
Plants described in 1842