''Acacia polifolia'' 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 native to parts of eastern
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 tree or shrub typically grows to a height of and has branchlets covered with tiny silvery white hairs and light golden coloured new shoots. 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 thin, evergreen phyllodes have a narrowly elliptic to oblanceolate or narrowly oblong shape with a length of and a width of and are moderately covered with silvery white hairs and have one main nerve per face. When it blooms it produces racemose
inflorescences that have spherical flower-heads containing 15 to 20 bright lemon yellow to golden coloured flowers. After flowering firmly chartaceous to thinly coriaceous
seed pods form that have a length of and a width of and are glabrous with a dusty white coating. The shiny black seeds inside the pods are arranged longitudinally and have an oblong-elliptic to slightly ovate shape with a length of and a clavate
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 ...
.
[
]
Distribution
It is found in parts of the Great Dividing Range
The Great Dividing Range, also known as the East Australian Cordillera or the Eastern Highlands, is a cordillera system in eastern Australia consisting of an expansive collection of mountain ranges, plateaus and rolling hills, that runs rough ...
in Queensland from around Jericho
Jericho ( ; ar, أريحا ; he, יְרִיחוֹ ) is a Palestinian city in the West Bank. It is located in the Jordan Valley, with the Jordan River to the east and Jerusalem to the west. It is the administrative seat of the Jericho Gove ...
and Tambo in the west out to around Biloela in the east growing in shallow sandy soils over and around sandstone as a part of '' Eucalyptus'' woodland communities.
See also
* List of ''Acacia'' species
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q9568107
polifolia
Flora of New South Wales
Flora of Queensland
Plants described in 1980
Taxa named by Leslie Pedley