Acacia asepala

Acacia asepala
Conservation status
Priority Two — Poorly Known Taxa (DEC)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Fabales
Family:	Fabaceae
Subfamily:	Caesalpinioideae
Clade:	Mimosoid clade
Genus:	Acacia
Species:	A. asepala
Binomial name
Acacia asepala Maslin [1]
Synonyms [1]
Racosperma asepalum(Maslin) Pedley

Acacia asepala is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a diffuse, multi-branched shrub with reddish-brown branchlets, sharply-pointed, glabrous, needle-shaped phyllodes on short projections of the stems, spherical heads of bright, mid-golden yellow flowers, and narrowly oblong pods up to 40 mm (1.6 in) long.

Description

Acacia asepala is diffuse and multi-branched shrub with reddish-brown branchlets and typically grows to a 0.5–1.5 m (1 ft 8 in – 4 ft 11 in) tall and 1.0–1.7 m (3 ft 3 in – 5 ft 7 in) wide. The phyllodes are wikt:glabrous, thickly needle-shaped, 10–25 mm (0.39–0.98 in) long and mostly 1 mm (0.039 in) wide with stipules about 0.2 mm (0.0079 in) long at the base. The flowers are arranged in two spherical heads in axils on a peduncles 2 mm (0.079 in) long, each head 4 mm (0.16 in) in diameter with about 10 mid-golden yellow flowers. Flowering has been observed beginning in August, and the pods are narrowly oblong to S-shaped or circular, 10–40 mm (0.39–1.57 in) long and 58 mm (2.3 in) wide. ^{[2] [3] [4] [5]}

Taxonomy

Acacia asepala was first formally described in 1999 by the botanist Bruce Maslin in the journal Nuytsia from specimens he collected in Frank Hann National Park in 1985. ^{[2] [6]} The specific epithet (asepala) means 'without sepals'. ^[2]

Distribution and habitat

This species of Acacia grows in low eucalypts woodland in loam or sandy loam in three disjunct populations, south-east of Marvel Loch, near Forrestania and in the Frank Hann National Park in the Avon Wheatbelt, Coolgardie and Mallee bioregions of Western Australia. ^{[2] [5] [4]}

Conservation status

Acacia asepala is listed as "Priority Two" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, ^[5] meaning that it is poorly known and from one or a few locations. ^[7]

See also

• List of Acacia species

References

1. "Acacia asepala". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
2. Maslin, Bruce R. (1999). "Acacia miscellany 16. The taxonomy of fifty-five species of Acacia, primarily Western Australian, in section Phyllodineae (Leguminosae: Mimosoideae)". Nuytsia. 12 (3): 321–323. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
3. Maslin, Bruce R. Kodela, Phillip G.; Orchard, Anthony E. (eds.). "Acacia asepala". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Canberra. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
4. "Acacia asepala". World Wide Wattle. Western Australian Herbarium . Retrieved 25 March 2019.
5. "Acacia asepala". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
6. "Acacia asepala". APNI. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
7. "Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna" (PDF). Government of Western Australia Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. Retrieved 8 December 2024.