''Acacia subtessarogona'', commonly known as spreading gidgee, is a

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Fabaceae The Fabaceae or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomenc ...

and the subgenus ''Juliflorae'' that is native to a small area in western

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

Spreading gidgee grows as an upright tree to a height of up to and has ribbed branchlets that are densely hired between each of the ribs. Like most ''

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 ...

'' species, 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. These are flat, curved, and have a length of about and a width of and have longitudinal striations. When it between July and October it produces simple

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

s that occur in groups of one to five 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 on long stalks. The flower-heads are a short cylindrical shape with a length of and densely packed with yellow flowers. The

seed pod This page provides a glossary of plant morphology. Botanists and other biologists who study plant morphology use a number of different terms to classify and identify plant organs and parts that can be observed using no more than a handheld magnify ...

s that form after flowering have a length of with a distinctive groove along each edge. The seeds insode are long and have an obloid shape.

Distribution

Endemic to

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 ...

, it occurs only in a small area of the

Gascoyne River The Gascoyne River is a river in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia. At , it is the longest river in Western Australia. Description The Gascoyne River comprises three branches in its upper reaches. Draining the Collier Range, the river ...

catchment near Carnarvon with outlying population near Wiluna. It is often found situated in low-lying area, along creeklines or on rocky ground growing in red loamy soils and is commonly associated with ''

Acacia sclerosperma ''Acacia sclerosperma'', commonly known as limestone wattle or silver bark wattle, is a tree in the family Fabaceae. Endemic to Western Australia, it occurs on floodplains and along water-courses throughout the arid north-west corner of the Sta ...

'' and ''

Acacia tetragonophylla ''Acacia tetragonophylla'', commonly known as curara, kurara or dead finish, is a tree in the family Fabaceae that is endemic to arid and semi-arid parts of central and western Australia. Description Curara grows as a tall shrub or small tree up ...

'' and sometimes with '' Acacia ancistrocarpa''.

References

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q4671015 Acacias of Western Australia subtessarogona Plants described in 1976 Taxa named by Mary Tindale Taxa named by Bruce Maslin

Description

Distribution

See also

References