Acacia alpina

Last updated

Alpine wattle
Acacia alpina.jpg
In the Australian National Botanic Gardens
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Caesalpinioideae
Clade: Mimosoid clade
Genus: Acacia
Species:
A. alpina
Binomial name
Acacia alpina
Acacia alpinaDistMap29.png
Occurrence data from AVH
Synonyms [1]
  • Acacia longifolia var. alpinaF.Muell. nom. inval.
  • Racosperma alpinum(F.Muell.) Pedley

Acacia alpina, commonly known as alpine wattle [2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to alpine and subalpine regions of south-eastern continental Australia. It is an erect or spreading shrub or tree with egg-shaped or broadly egg-shaped phyllodes with the narrower end towards the base, flowers arranged in 1 or 2 racemes in the axils of phyllodes, each with cylindrical to oblong, usually pale yellow flowers, and thin-walled, gently curved or coiled pods 30–80 mm (1.2–3.1 in) long.

Contents

Description

Acacia alpina is an erect or spreading, tangled shrub that typically grows to 1–2 m (3 ft 3 in – 6 ft 7 in) high and up to 10 m (33 ft) wide. The phyllodes are egg-shaped, broadly egg-shaped or more or less round and asymmetrical, 15–35 mm (0.59–1.38 in) long and 8–25 mm (0.31–0.98 in) wide. There is a D-shaped stipule at the base of the phyllode, but that falls off as the phyllode develops. [2] [3] [4] [5]

The flowers are usually pale yellow, borne in 1 or 2 cylindrical to oblong spikes 5–15 mm (0.20–0.59 in) long in the axils of phyllodes, each spike with few flowers on a peduncle 1–3 mm (0.039–0.118 in) long. Flowering mainly occurs from October to November, and the fruit is a thin-walled, gently curved or coiled pod, 30–80 mm (1.2–3.1 in) long and 3–6 mm (0.12–0.24 in) wide, containing narrowly elliptic seeds 3.5–5 mm (0.14–0.20 in) long. [2] [3] [4] [5]

Taxonomy

Acacia alpina was first formally described in 1863 by Ferdinand von Mueller in his Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae from specimens collected at an altitude of 4,500–500 ft (1,370–150 m). [6] [7] The specific epithet (alpina) means "of the alps", referring to the species' usual habitat. [4]

Distribution

Alpine acacia grows in woodlands and heathlands and on open plains in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales and southern parts of the Australian Capital Territory and further south to around Mount Baw Baw in the eastern Victorian highlands at an altitude of 1,300–1,800 m (4,300–5,900 ft). It is often situated in granitic and windswept areas and sometimes forms dense thickets. [3]

This species is a close relative of Acacia phlebophylla and the two species tend to hybridize. It often can be found in alpine and subalpine areas of Australia. [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Acacia acanthoclada</i> Species of plant

Acacia acanthoclada, commonly known as harrow wattle, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to southern continental Australia. It is a low, highly branched, spreading and spiny shrub with wedge-shaped to triangular or egg-shaped phyllodes with the narrower end towards the base, and spherical heads of up to 30 flowers, and linear, spirally-coiled pods.

<i>Acacia acinacea</i> Species of plant

Acacia acinacea, commonly known as gold dust wattle, wreath wattle or round-leaf wattle. is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to south-eastern continental Australia. It is a bushy or straggling shrub with asymmetric, narrowly oblong to broadly egg-shaped phyllodes with the narrower end towards the base, flowers arranged in a spherical heads 4.0–4.5 mm (0.16–0.18 in) in diameter with 8 to 20 flowers, and a spirally coiled to twisted pods up to 3.0–4.5 mm (0.12–0.18 in) long.

<i>Acacia brunioides</i> Species of legume

Acacia brunioides, commonly known as brown wattle is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is an erect or spreading shrub with more or less cylindrical phyllodes, inflorescenses arranged singly in leaf axils, each with 20 to 27 more or less white to bright yellow flowers, and straight, papery to leathery pods up to 15–60 mm (0.59–2.36 in) long.

<i>Acacia maitlandii</i> Species of plant

Acacia maitlandii, also known as Maitland's wattle, is a perennial tree native to Australia.

<i>Acacia hakeoides</i> Species of plant

Acacia hakeoides, known colloquially as hakea wattle, hakea-leaved wattle or western black wattle, is a species of flowering plant endemic to southern Australia. It is a bushy shrub or tree with lance-shaped to linear phyllodes, racemes of bright golden-yellow flowers and more or less leathery to leathery to hard and brittle pods. It can be found growing in sandy soils in semiarid and Eucalyptus woodland in the region.

Acacia anastomosa, also known as Carson River wattle, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to northern Western Australia. It is a spindly, staggly shrub with many stems, narrowly elliptic phyllodes, 1 or 2 heads of densely flowered spikes in axils, and narrowly oblong pods.

<i>Acacia areolata</i> Species of legume

Acacia areolata is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to the Northern Kimberley region of Western Australia. It is a spreading shrub with curved phyllodes, racemes of one or two spikes of yellow flowers in axils, and narrowly oblong to oblong pods up to 75 mm (3.0 in) long.

<i>Acacia aestivalis</i> Species of legume

Acacia aestivalis is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a bushy shrub or tree with linear to narrowly lance-shaped phyllodes, the narrower end towards the base, racemes of 5 to 11 spherical heads of golden-yellow flowers, and glabrous, papery to thinly leathery pods.

<i>Acacia alexandri</i> Species of legume

Acacia alexandri is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to the Cape Range in the north-west of Western Australia. It is a glabrous shrub with slender branchlets, linear phyllodes, and cream-coloured flowers arranged in 1 or 2 spherical heads in the axils of phyllodes, and narrowly oblong, papery pods up to 70 mm (2.8 in) long.

<i>Acacia amblygona</i> Species of legume

Acacia amblygona, commonly known as fan wattle or fan leaf wattle, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to continental Australia. It is a sprawling, sometimes prostrate shrub with sharply-pointed, lance-shaped, tapering phyllodes, golden-yellow flowers arranged in a spherical head of 10 to 18 in the axils of phyllodes, and curved, coiled or twisted pods up to 70 mm (2.8 in) long.

<i>Acacia ampliceps</i> Species of legume

Acacia ampliceps, commonly known as salt wattle or spring wattle, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to the north-west of Australia. It is a large, bushy shrub or small tree with often pendulous branches, pendulous, linear to lance-shaped phyllodes, white to cream-coloured flowers arranged in spherical heads, and pods up to 115 mm (4.5 in) long.

<i>Acacia anthochaera</i> Species of legume

Acacia anthochaera, commonly known as Kimberly's wattle, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a rounded shrub or tree with narrowly linear phyllodes, racemes of 4 to 9 spherical heads of bright light golden flowers, and narrowly oblong, papery pods up to 85 mm (3.3 in) long.

<i>Acacia aphanoclada</i> Species of legume

Acacia aphanoclada, also known as Nullagine ghost wattle, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to a small area in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. It is a glabrous wispy shrub with narrowly linear phyllodes, racemes of spherical heads of golden flowers, and narrowly oblong, papery pods up to 60–70 mm (2.4–2.8 in) long.

Acacia amyctica is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect, bushy shrub with ascending to erect, narrowly lance-shaped, sharply-pointed phyllodes with the narrower end towards the base, spherical heads of 18 to 25 golden flowers, and linear to strongly curved pods.

<i>Acacia anfractuosa</i> Species of legume

Acacia anfractuosa is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a diffuse, spindly, weeping shrub or tree with widely spreading, linear or s-shaped phyllodes, spherical heads of 22 to 32 golden-yellow flowers, and linear pods up to 120 mm (4.7 in) long.

<i>Acacia anserina</i> Species of legume

Acacia anserina, also known as hairy sandstone wattle, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to a small area in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. It is an erect, openly-branched shrub with its branchlets densely covered with soft hairs, widely elliptic to widely egg-shaped phyllodes with the narrower end towards the base, spherical heads of 17 to 25 light golden flowers, and narrowly oblong pods up to 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) wide.

<i>Acacia subtilinervis</i> Species of legume

Acacia subtilinervis, also known as the net-veined wattle, is a rare wattle in the Juliflorae subgenus found in eastern Australia.

<i>Acacia aculeatissima</i> Species of legume

Acacia aculeatissima, commonly known as thin-leaf wattle or snake wattle, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to south-eastern continental Australia. It is usually a prostrate shrub with sharply pointed, needle-shaped phyllodes, flowers arranged in up to 3 more or less spherical heads of 15 to 25 flowers, and linear, papery pods up to 60 mm (2.4 in) long.

<i>Acacia arafurica</i> Species of plant

Acacia arafurica is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to the far north of the Northern Territory. It is a shrub or tree obliquely egg-shaped to diamond-shaped phyllodes, flowers arranged in spikes of golden yellow flowers, and papery, linear pods up to 105 mm (4.1 in) long.

Acacia amentifera is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to a very restricted part of the Northern Territory. It is a shrub with clusters of oblong to lance-shaped phyllodes with the narrower end towards the base, flowers arranged in spikes of golden yellow flowers, and linear pods 47 mm (1.9 in) long.

References

  1. 1 2 "Acacia alpina". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 Harden, Gwen J.; Kodela, Phillip G. "Acacia alpina". Royal Botnic Garden, Sydney. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Acacia alpina". World Wide Wattle. Western Australian Herbarium . Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 Court, Arthur B.; Maslin, Bruce R.; Kodela, Phillip G. "Acacia alpina". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Canberra. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  5. 1 2 Entwisle, Timothy J.; Maslin, Bruce R.; Cowan, Richard S.; Court, Arthur B. "Acacia alpina". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  6. ↑ "Acacia alpina". APNI. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  7. ↑ von Mueller, Ferdinand (1863). Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae. Vol. 3. Melbourne: Victorian Government Printer. p. 129. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.