Acacia besleyi

Last updated

Bes' wattle
Status DECF P1.svg
Priority One — Poorly Known Taxa (DEC)
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. besleyi
Binomial name
Acacia besleyi

Acacia besleyi, also known as Bes' wattle, [2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to a small area near Ravensthorpe in the south-west of Western Australia. It is a rounded, often bushy shrub with linear, thinly leathery phyllodes, spherical heads of yellow flowers and narrowly oblong pods up to 30 mm (1.2 in) long.

Contents

Description

Acacia besleyi is a rounded, or inverted cone-shaped, often bushy shrub 1–3 m (3 ft 3 in – 9 ft 10 in) high, with linear, thinly leathery phyllodes 40–85 mm (1.6–3.3 in) long and 2–3 mm (0.079–0.118 in) wide with triangular stipules up to 0.5 mm (0.020 in) long at the base. There are three to five parallel veins, and a gland 1–3 mm (0.039–0.118 in) above the base of the phyllodes. One or two spherical heads of flowers are borne in axils on peduncles 5–8 mm (0.20–0.31 in) long, the heads are about 5 mm (0.20 in) in diameter with 15 to 22 yellow flowers. Flowering mostly occurs in October, and the pods are thinly leathery to crust-like, narrowly oblong, 10–30 mm (0.39–1.18 in) long and 3.5–5 mm (0.14–0.20 in) wide, containing oblong seeds 2.8–3.5 mm (0.11–0.14 in) long with a white, club-shaped aril. [3] [4]

Taxonomy

Acacia besleyi was first formally described in 2014 by Bruce Maslin in the journal Nuytsia from specimens he collected south of Ravensthorpe in 2013. [3] [5] The specific epithet (besleyi) honours Laurie Besley ("Bes"), a "distinguished scientist with CSIRO in Sydney and director of the National Measurement Institute in Sydney".

Distribution and habitat

Bes' wattle is only known from a few populations in the Ravensthorpe Range, where it grows in undulating country in rocky places in mallee scrub. [3] [4]

Conservation status

Acacia besleyi is listed as "Priority One" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, [2] meaning that it is known from only one or a few locations where it is potentially at risk. [6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Acacia besleyi". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  2. 1 2 "Acacia besleyi". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  3. 1 2 3 Maslin, Bruce R. (2014). "Miscellaneous new species of Acacia (Fabaceae: Mimosoideae) from south-west Western Australia". Nuytsia. 24: 152–155. Retrieved 8 April 2025.
  4. 1 2 Maslin, Bruce R. Kodela, Phillip G. (ed.). "Acacia besleyi". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Canberra. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  5. ↑ "Acacia besleyi". APNI. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  6. ↑ "Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna" (PDF). Government of Western Australia Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
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