![Kangaroo Thorn flower (6257402372)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/Kangaroo_Thorn_flower_%286257402372%29.jpg)
''Acacia paradoxa''
is a plant in the family
. Its common names include kangaroo acacia,
[ kangaroo thorn, prickly wattle, hedge wattle] and paradox acacia.
Description
The large 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 ...
or tree up to tall[ and has a similar width,][ it has ribbed branchlets that are often arched downward. It is dense with foliage; the leaves are actually enlarged petioles known as ]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. They are crinkly and the new ones are covered in hairs. The erect phyllodes are asymettric and have a lanceolate
The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regular o ...
shape and are around in length and wide.[ The bush is also full of long spines. It usually flowers between August and November][ producing an axillary flower-spike with small, bright yellow spherical flower heads and the fruits are brown pods long. The hard black seeds within have an oblong shape and are about in length and half as wide.][
The spiny ]stipule
In botany, a stipule is an outgrowth typically borne on both sides (sometimes on just one side) of the base of a leafstalk (the petiole). Stipules are considered part of the anatomy of the leaf of a typical flowering plant, although in many speci ...
s that grow at the base of the phyllodes deter livestock from feeding on or too close to the plant.
Taxonomy
The species was first formally described by the botanist Augustin Pyramus de Candolle
Augustin Pyramus (or Pyrame) de Candolle (, , ; 4 February 17789 September 1841) was a Swiss botanist. René Louiche Desfontaines launched de Candolle's botanical career by recommending him at a herbarium. Within a couple of years de Candol ...
in 1813 as part of the work ''Catalogus Plantarum Horti Botanici Monspeliensis''.
The species name is from the Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
words ''para'' which means ''near'' and ''doxa'' meaning ''glory''. This probably refers the unattractive and thorny shrub being quite showy when it is in bloom.[
Many synonyms are known for the plant including; ''Acacia ornithophora'', ''Acacia undulata'', ''Mimosa paradoxa'', ''Racosperma paradoxum'', ''Acacia armata'' and ''Acacia hybrida''.][
]
Distribution
Kangaroo thorn is widely spread across Australia, regenerating from seed after disturbances, such as bush fire. Small birds, including wrens, use this plant as shelter and dwelling, while it is relied upon as a food source for moths, butterflies and other insects, birds also feed on its seeds.
It 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 south eastern parts of 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 ...
, much of Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
, eastern 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 ...
and south eastern parts of Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
.[ It has become naturalised in parts 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 ...
and Tasmania
)
, nickname =
, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdi ...
.
The plant has also been introduced to other continents. In the United States, kangaroo thorn is a well-known noxious weed
A noxious weed, harmful weed or injurious weed is a weed that has been designated by an agricultural or other governing authority as a plant that is injurious to agricultural or horticultural crops, natural habitats or ecosystems, or humans or liv ...
in California.
Cultivation
The plant is used as an ornamental or as a dense screening plant. It make an excellent habitat and food source for birds. It grows well in full sun or in a partly shaded position. It can be planted in dry to moist well-drained areas.[ Seeds require pre-treatment such as scarification prior to planting.][
]
References
Further reading
*
*
*
External links
USDA Plants Profile
Photo gallery
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1524950
paradoxa
Fabales of Australia
Flora of Victoria (Australia)
Flora of South Australia
Flora of New South Wales
Flora of Queensland
Taxa named by Augustin Pyramus de Candolle
Plants described in 1813
Flora of Western Australia
Flora of Tasmania