''Acacia oxycedrus'', commonly known as spike wattle,
[ is an erect or spreading ]shrub
A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...
which 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 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 prickly shrub grows to a height of and has a width of around with a dense habit.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 dark green, rigid and sharp-pointed 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 have three or four prominent longitudinal veins. The bright yellow to pale yellow cylindrical flowerheads appear in groups of one to three in the axils of the phyllodes from July to October, followed by straight or slightly curved seed pods which are 4 to long and wide.[
]
Distribution
The species occurs on sandy soil in dry sclerophyll
Sclerophyll is a type of vegetation that is adapted to long periods of dryness and heat. The plants feature hard leaf, leaves, short Internode (botany), internodes (the distance between leaves along the stem) and leaf orientation which is paral ...
forest or heath in South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
, Victoria and New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
.[
]
Cultivation
The shrub is available commercially but can be propagated by seed scarification or using boiling water. It grows well in open sun and in a well drained position in most soil types. It is frost
Frost is a thin layer of ice on a solid surface, which forms from water vapor in an above-freezing atmosphere coming in contact with a solid surface whose temperature is below freezing, and resulting in a phase change from water vapor (a gas) ...
hardy and useful for road batters or as a screen or hedge plant that will form an impenetrable barrier.[
]
See also
* List of ''Acacia'' species
Acacia oxycedrus IMG 5249.jpg ,
Acacia oxycedrus DSC 9772.jpg ,
Acacia oxycedrus IMG 5254.jpg , Ku-ring-gai Chase NP
References
oxycedrus
Flora of New South Wales
Flora of South Australia
Flora of Victoria (Australia)
Fabales of Australia
{{Australia-rosid-stub