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''Acacia pulchella'', commonly known as prickly moses or western prickly moses, is a shrub in the
''Acacia pulchella'', commonly known as prickly moses or western prickly moses, is a shrub 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 ...
. 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 is one of the most common shrubs of the bushland around Perth
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
and in the Darling Range
The Darling Scarp, also referred to as the Darling Range or Darling Ranges, is a low escarpment running north–south to the east of the Swan Coastal Plain and Perth, Western Australia. The escarpment extends generally north of Bindoon, to th ...
.
Description
The shrub typically grows to a height of that branches freely and has flexuose and spine tipped pale green branchlets andstipule
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. The leaves are composed of three to five pinnae
The auricle or auricula is the visible part of the ear that is outside the head. It is also called the pinna (Latin for "wing" or " fin", plural pinnae), a term that is used more in zoology.
Structure
The diagram shows the shape and location ...
. Prickly moses is one of only a small number of ''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
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
to have true leaves, rather than 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. It has feathery, bipinnate
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 ...
leaves with leaflets up to 5 mm long. At the base of each leaf is one or two spines. It flowers in late winter and early spring. The rudimentary 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 occur in groups of one to three racemose
A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the s ...
spherical flower-heads with a diameter of about usually containing 10 to 40 but sometimes up to 60 golden coloured flowers. The crustaceous 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 narrowly oblong shape and are flat or slightly undulate with a length of and a width of . The brown seeds inside have a mostly oblong shape and are in length.
The name "prickly moses" is said to be a corruption of "prickly mimosa".
Taxonomy
It was first described in 1813 by Robert Brown. Thespecific epithet
In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...
is derived from Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
and names ''small'' and ''beautiful''.
There are four recognised varieties:
* ''A. p.'' var. ''glaberrima''
* ''A. p.'' var. ''goadbyi''
* ''A. p.'' var. ''pulchella''
* ''A. p.'' var. ''reflexa''
It belongs to the ''A pulchella'' group of wattles along with ''Acacia amputata
''Acacia amputata'' is a shrub of the genus '' Acacia'' and the subgenus ''Pulchellae'' that is endemic to an area of south western Australia.
Description
The spreading spinose shrub typically grows to a height of with pink-brown branches and ...
'' , ''Acacia epacantha
''Acacia epacantha'' is a shrub of the genus ''Acacia'' and the subgenus ''Pulchellae'' that is endemic to an area in the south west of Australia.
Description
The dense bushy spiny shrub typically grows to a height of and has a spreading habit ...
'' , ''Acacia fagonioides
''Acacia fagonioides'' is a shrub of the genus '' Acacia'' and the subgenus ''Pulchellae'' that is endemic to an area of south western Australia.
Description
The spinescent shrub typically grows to a height of with hairy, intricate branchlets ...
'' , ''Acacia guinetii
''Acacia guinetii'', commonly known as Guinet's wattle, is a shrub of the genus '' Acacia'' and the subgenus ''Pulchellae'' that is endemic to a small area along the coast of western Australia
Description
The evergreen shrub typically grows to ...
'' , ''Acacia lasiocarpa
''Acacia lasiocarpa'', commonly known as Panjang or Pajang or glow wattle, is a shrub of the genus '' Acacia'' and the subgenus ''Pulchellae'' that is endemic to Western Australia.
Description
The shrub typically grows to a height of and acros ...
'' and ''Acacia megacephala
''Acacia megacephala'' is a shrub of the genus '' Acacia'' and the subgenus ''Pulchellae'' that is endemic to south western Australia.
Description
The erect, spindly and spinose shrub typically grows to a height of and has hairy branchlets th ...
''.
Distribution
It is found in the Perth, Peel,South West
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...
, Great Southern and southern parts of the Wheatbelt and Mid West
The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...
where it is commonly situated in swamps, low-lying areas and near creeks and rivers. The range of the plant extends from around Geraldton
Geraldton (Wajarri: ''Jambinu'', Wilunyu: ''Jambinbirri'') is a coastal city in the Mid West region of the Australian state of Western Australia, north of the state capital, Perth.
At June 2018, Geraldton had an urban population of 37,648. ...
in the north down to near Esperance in the east and to coastal areas in the west and south. Geraldton to Esperance. A single population has also been recorded 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 ...
in Creek Conservation Park
A creek in North America and elsewhere, such as Australia, is a stream that is usually smaller than a river. In the British Isles it is a small tidal inlet.
Creek may also refer to:
People
* Creek people, also known as Muscogee, Native Americans ...
.
Ecology
Recent research suggests that ''A. pulchella'' may in some circumstances suppress the plant pathogen ''Phytophthora cinnamomi
''Phytophthora cinnamomi'' is a soil-borne water mould that produces an infection which causes a condition in plants variously called "root rot", "dieback", or (in certain '' Castanea'' species), "ink disease". The plant pathogen is one of the wo ...
''.
Uses
This prickly shrub is useful as a screen to inhibit animal and human access to areas.See also
* List of ''Acacia'' speciesReferences
External links
* {{Taxonbar, from=Q1280904 pulchella Acacias of Western Australia Fabales of Australia Taxa named by Robert Brown (botanist, born 1773)