''Acacia oncinophylla'', commonly known as hook-leaved acacia, 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''.

Description

The shrub typically grows to a height of and has minni ritchi style bark and flattened and angular ribbed branchlets that are glabrous or sparsely hairy on ribs and are sometimes coated with a 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 evergreen phyllodes have a linear or linear-oblanceolate shape and can be either straight or curved. The glabrous, flexible, or semi-rigid phyllodes have a length of and a width of with an acute to acuminate apex and have three to seven raised nerves on each face. It flowers from August to September, producing yellow flowers. The simple inflorescences are found 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 cylindrical flower spikes with a length of and a diameter of and are densely packed with 50 to 97 golden-coloured flowers. After flowering golden to silver-coloured velvety seed pods form that have a linear shape and are straight to very slightly curved. The pods have a length of up to and a width of with obliquely arranged seeds inside. The glossy black seeds have a broadly elliptic shape and a length of with an apical

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

The species was first formally described by the botanist

John Lindley John Lindley FRS (5 February 1799 – 1 November 1865) was an English botanist, gardener and orchidologist. Early years Born in Catton, near Norwich, England, John Lindley was one of four children of George and Mary Lindley. George Lindley w ...

in 1839. There are two recognised

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

: * ''Acacia oncinophylla'' subsp. ''oncinophylla'' * ''Acacia oncinophylla'' subsp. ''patulifolia'' It is quite closely related to ''

Acacia fauntleroyi ''Acacia fauntleroyi'' is a shrub or small tree belonging to the genus ''Acacia'' and the subgenus ''Juliflorae'' that is endemic to a part of south western Australia. Description The shrub or small tree typically grows to a height of with min ...

'', which is found further east.

Distribution

It is native to the

Swan Coastal Plain The Swan Coastal Plain in Western Australia is the geographic feature which contains the Swan River as it travels west to the Indian Ocean. The coastal plain continues well beyond the boundaries of the Swan River and its tributaries, as a geol ...

and

South West The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...

regions of Western Australia where it is commonly situated on hills andslopes growing in granitic or lateritic soils. It is found from around Mogumber in the north and down the

Darling Range The Darling Scarp, also referred to as the Darling Range or Darling Ranges, is a low escarpment running north–south to the east of the Swan Coastal Plain and Perth, Western Australia. The escarpment extends generally north of Bindoon, to th ...

to around Wagerup in the south, often as a part of

jarrah ''Eucalyptus marginata'', commonly known as jarrah, djarraly in Noongar language and historically as Swan River mahogany, is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a tree with roug ...

woodland communities.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q9567569 oncinophylla Acacias of Western Australia Plants described in 1839 Taxa named by John Lindley

Description

Taxonomy

Distribution

See also

References