Acacia coolgardiensis

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Sugar brother
Acacia coolgardiensis.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. coolgardiensis
Binomial name
Acacia coolgardiensis
Acacia coolgardiensisDistMap218.png
Occurrence data from AVH
Synonyms [1]
  • Acacia coolgardiensisMaiden subsp. coolgardiensis
  • Racosperma coolgardiense(Maiden) Pedley
  • Racosperma coolgardiense(Maiden) Pedley subsp. coolgardiense

Acacia coolgardiensis, commonly known as sugar brother, [2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to Western Australia. It is a multistemmed shrub or tree with smooth bark except on oldest plants, terete, thread-like phyllodes, oblong to short cylindrical heads of golden yellow flowers and thinly leathery to crusty, straight to slightly curved pods.

Contents

Description

Acacia coolgardiensis is a multi-stemmed shrub or tree that typically grows to a height of 2–5 m (6 ft 7 in – 16 ft 5 in), sometimes to 7 m (23 ft). Its bark is smooth, but finely fissured at the base of the oldest plants. The phyllodes are terete, thread-like, 60–110 mm (2.4–4.3 in) long and 0.6–0.8 mm (0.024–0.031 in) wide, not rigid but sometimes sharply pointed. The flowers are borne in usually two oblong to shortly cylindrical golden yellow heads 5–9 mm (0.20–0.35 in) long and 5–6 mm (0.20–0.24 in) in diameter, in axils on peduncles 0.5–2 mm (0.020–0.079 in) long. The pods ae straight to slightly curved, terete, 40–80 mm (1.6–3.1 in) long, 1–2 mm (0.039–0.079 in) wide and thinly leathery to crusty. The seeds are oblong, 2.2–4 mm (0.087–0.157 in) long and shiny with a creamy-white aril. [2] [3] [4]

Taxonomy

Acacia coolgardiensis was first formally described in 1920 by Joseph Maiden in the Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales based on a description by Alexander Morrison of Acacia aciphylla in the Scottish Botanical Review [5] and a description of the fruit from near Kununoppin supplied by Frederick Stoward. [6] The specific epithet (coolgardiensis) means 'native of the town of Coolgardie'. [7]

This species belongs in the Section Juliflorae. [8]

Three previously recognised subspecies are now considered to be more appropriately treated as distinct species: [2] [4]

Distribution and habitat

This species of wattle grows in a wide variety of soils including granitic or lateritic gravel, sand, sandy loam or loam, often on sandplains, but also on low hills and granite outcrops in shrubland and spinifex. It is widely distributed from Nerren Nerren Station (about 80 km (50 mi) north-east of Kalbarri) and Northampton, south-east to near Holt Rock and Menangina Station (about 80 km (50 mi) east of Menzies in the Avon Wheatbelt, Carnarvon, Coolgardie, Geraldton Sandplains, Great Victoria Desert, Jarrah Forest, Mallee, Murchison and Yalgoo bioregions of Western Australia. [2] [4] [11]

Conservation status

Acacia coolgardiensis is listed as "not threatened" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. [11]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Acacia coolgardiensis". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Maslin, Bruce R.; Reid, Jordan E.; Cowan, Richard S. Kodela, Phillip G. (ed.). "Acacia coolgardiensis". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Canberra. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
  3. ↑ "Acacia coolgardiensis". World Wide Wattle. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 "Acacia coolgardiensis". Australian Biological Resources Study. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
  5. ↑ Morrison, Alexander (1912). "New or imperfectly described species of Acacia from Western Australia". The Scottish Botanical Review. 1 (2): 99. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
  6. ↑ Maiden, Joseph H. (1920). "Notes on Acacias, No. IV, with descriptions of new species". Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales. 53: 211–214. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
  7. ↑ George, Alex S.; Sharr, Francis A. (2023). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings - A Glossary (fifth ed.). Kardinya: Four Gables Press. p. 172. ISBN   9780645629538.
  8. ↑ "Acacia coolgardiensis". World Wide Wattle. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
  9. ↑ "Acacia latior". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
  10. ↑ "Acacia latior". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
  11. 1 2 "Acacia coolgardiensis". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
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