Acacia calligera

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Acacia calligera
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. calligera
Binomial name
Acacia calligera
(Pedley) Pedley [1]
Synonyms [1]
List
    • Acacia calligera Benth. nom. inval., pro syn.
    • Acacia calligera Maslin nom. inval., pro syn.
    • Acacia wickhami var. viscidula F.Muell. orth. var.
    • Acacia wickhamii subsp. parviphyllodinea Tindale, Kodela & D.Keith
    • Acacia wickhamii subsp. parviphyllodineaMaslin nom. inval.
    • Acacia wickhamii subsp. parviphyllodineumPedley orth. var.
    • Acacia wickhamii subsp. viscidula(F.Muell.) Tindale, Kodela & D.Keith
    • Acacia wickhamii subsp. viscidulaTindale, Kodela & D.Keith nom. inval.
    • Acacia wickhamii subsp. viscidulumPedley orth. var.
    • Acacia wickhamii β viscidulaF.Muell.
    • Racosperma calligerumPedley

Acacia calligera is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to northern Australia. It is a spreading, glabrous, sticky shrub with mostly egg-shaped to elliptic or oblong phyllodes, spikes of sulfur yellow to golden yellow flowers, and crust-like to more or less woody pods up to 90 mm (3.5 in) long.

Contents

Description

Acacia calligera is a spreading, glabrous shrub that typically grows to a height of 0.5 to 1.5 m (1 ft 8 in to 4 ft 11 in) and has sticky, ribbed branchlets. Its phyllodes are mostly egg-shaped to elliptic or oblong, often with the lower margin more or less straight and the upper margin convex, 3–20 mm (0.12–0.79 in) long and 2–8 mm (0.079–0.315 in) wide. The phyllodes have five to seven widely spaced veins and a beak-shaped point usually on the edge. The flowers are sulfur yellow to golden yellow and borne in spikes 10–35 mm (0.39–1.38 in) long on a peduncle mostly 5–10 mm (0.20–0.39 in) long. Flowering occurs between February and August and the pods are more or less narrowly lance-shaped and flat sided, crust-like to more or less woody, 20–90 mm (0.79–3.54 in) long and brown to dark brown seeds 3.0–3.5 mm (0.12–0.14 in) long with a narrowly top-shaped aril. [2] [3] [4]

Taxonomy

This species was first formally described in 2003 by Leslie Pedley who gave it the name Racesperma calligerum in the journal Austrobaileya , [5] [6] but in 2006 transferred the species to Acacia as Acacia calligera. [7] The specific epithet (calligera) mean 'callus-bearing', referring to the beak-shaped point near the end of the phyllodes. [8]

Distribution and habitat

Acacia calligera often grows in read sand or clay, or in laterite in shrubland or open woodland with a grassy understorey or ridges, escarpment or plains, sometimes forming dense thickets. It occurs in the Central Kimberley, Dampierland and Ord Victoria Plain bioregions of Western Australia, [9] the Barkly Tableland and Katherine Regions in the top end of the Northern Territory [10] and the Normanton area of Queensland. [2]

Conservation status

Acacia calligera is listed as "not threatened" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, [9] as of "least concern" under the Northern Territory Government Territory Parks and Walkdlife Conservation Act [10] and the Queensland Government Nature Conservation Act 1992 . [11]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Acacia calligera". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  2. 1 2 "Acacia calligera". Wattle - Acacias of Australia. Lucid Central. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  3. ↑ Maslin, Bruce R. Kodela, Phillip G. (ed.). "Acacia calligera". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Canberra. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  4. ↑ "Acacia wickhamii". World Wide Wattle. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  5. ↑ "Racesperma calligerum". APNI. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  6. ↑ Pedley, Leslie (2003). "A synopsis of Racosperma C.Mart. (Leguminosae: Mimosoideae)". Austrobaileya. 6 (3): 455. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  7. ↑ "Acacia calligera". APNI. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  8. ↑ George, A.S; Sharr, F.A (2021). Western Australian Plant Names and their meanings (4th ed.). Kardinya: Four Gables. p. 155. ISBN   9780958034197.
  9. 1 2 "Acacia calligera". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  10. 1 2 "Acacia calligera". Northern Territory Government. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  11. ↑ "Taxon Record 31093 - Acacia calligera". Queensland Government WildNet. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
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