''Acacia rothii'', commonly known as tooroo,
Roth's wattle, lancewood and spoon tree,
is a shrub of 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 ''Plurinerves'' 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 north 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 typically grows to a height of
[ with an open canopy and a reasonable straight trunk.][ It has rough dark grey-brown coloured bark and angular glabrous branchlets.]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 glabrous and evergreen phyllodes have a narrowly oblong-elliptic sickle shape with a length of and a width of and have two or three prominent longitudinal nerves.][
]
Taxonomy
The species was first formally described by the botanist Frederick Manson Bailey in 1900 as a part of the work ''Contributions to the Flora of Queensland'' as published in the ''Queensland Agricultural Journal''. In 1987 it was reclassified as ''Racosperma rothii'' 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 ...
then transferred back to genus ''Acacia'' in 2001.[
]
Distribution
The range of the plant is mostly in far north 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_ ...
where it is commonly situated on almost level and gently undulating plains as well as low hills with elevations up to . It is usually found growing in lateritic
Laterite is both a soil and a rock type rich in iron and aluminium and is commonly considered to have formed in hot and wet tropical areas. Nearly all laterites are of rusty-red coloration, because of high iron oxide content. They develop by ...
red earth sandy or loamy soils as a part of ''Eucalyptus
''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of over seven hundred species of flowering trees, shrubs or mallees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalypteae, including '' Corymbia'', they are commonly known as euca ...
'' woodland communities.[ The range of the plant extends from the northern tip of the ]Cape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula is a large peninsula located in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is the largest unspoiled wilderness in northern Australia.Mittermeier, R.E. et al. (2002). Wilderness: Earth’s last wild places. Mexico City: Agrupación ...
down to the Palmer River
The Palmer River is a river located in Far North Queensland, Australia. The area surrounding the river was the site of a gold rush in the late 19th century which started in 1873.
Course and features
The headwaters of the Palmer River rise in ...
in the south.[
]
See also
* List of ''Acacia'' species
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q9568778
rothii
Flora of Queensland
Taxa named by Frederick Manson Bailey
Plants described in 1900