Acacia deflexa

Acacia deflexa
Conservation status
Priority Three — 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. deflexa
Binomial name
Acacia deflexa Maiden & Blakley [1]
Occurrence data from AVH
Synonyms [1]
Racosperma deflexum(Maiden & Blakely) Pedley

Acacia deflexa is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a shrub with broadly elliptic, elliptic or narrowly oblong phyllodes, spherical heads of pale golden yellow flowers and linear, strongly curved, papery pods.

Description

Acacia deflexa is a prostrate to straggling or erect shrub that typically grows to a height of 0.15–2 m (6 in – 6 ft 7 in) and branchlets covered with soft hairs. Its phyllodes are broadly elliptic or elliptic to narrowly oblong, straight or slightly curved, 6–18 mm (0.24–0.71 in) long, 2–5 mm (0.079–0.197 in) wide and leathery with three prominent veins on each face. The flowers are borne in two spherical heads in axils on a peduncle 3.5–5 mm (0.14–0.20 in) long, each head 3.0–3.5 mm (0.12–0.14 in) in diameter with 10 to 16 pale golden yellow flowers. Flowering occurs in August and September, and the podes are linear, strongly curved, up to 45 mm (1.8 in) long, 2.0–2.5 mm (0.079–0.098 in) wide, papery and raised over the seeds. The seeds are broadly elliptic, 2.0–2.5 mm (0.079–0.098 in) long and dull brown, with an aril. ^{[2] [3] [4] [5]}

Taxonomy

Acacia deflexa was first formally described in 1927 by Joseph Maiden and William Blakely in the Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia from specimens collected near Bendering in 1923 by Charles Gardner. ^{[6] [7]} The specific epithet (deflexa) means 'bent' or 'turned downwards', referring to the phyllodes. ^[8]

Distribution and habitat

This species of wattle grows in heath and low scrub in sand or sandy loam on open plains in the Bendering-Ardath, Cuballing-Harrismith and Manmanning areas in the Avon Wheatbelt, Jarrah Forest and Mallee bioregions of south-western Western Australia. ^{[5] [3]}

Conservation status

Acacia deflexa is listed as "Priority Three" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, ^[5] meaning that it is poorly known and known from only a few locations but is not under imminent threat. ^[9]

See also

• List of Acacia species

References

1. "Acacia deflexa". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
2. Cowan, Richard S. Maslin, Bruce R.; Reid, Jordan E.; Orchard, Anthony E.; Kodela, Phillip G. (eds.). "Acacia deflexa". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Canberra. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
3. "Acacia deflexa". World Wide Wattle. Western Australian Herbarium . Retrieved 2 November 2020.
4. "Acacia deflexa". Australian Biological Resources Study. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
5. "Acacia deflexa". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
6. Maiden, Joseph H.; Blakely, William F. (1927). "Descriptions of fifty new species and six varieties of western and northern Australian Acacias, and notes on four other species". Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia. 13: 18–19. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
7. "Acacia deflexa". APNI. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
8. George, Alex S.; Sharr, Francis A. (2023). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings - A Glossary (fifth ed.). Kardinya: Four Gables Press. p. 182. ISBN   9780645629538.
9. "Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna" (PDF). Government of Western Australia Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. Retrieved 3 September 2025.