Des Nelson wattle | |
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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. desmondii |
Binomial name | |
Acacia desmondii | |
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Occurrence data from Australasian Virtual Herbarium | |
Synonyms [2] | |
Acacia nelsonii Maslin |
Acacia desmondii, also known as Des Nelson wattle [3] is a shrub belonging to the genus Acacia and the subgenus Juliflorae that is native to central Australia. It is listed a vulnerable. [3]
The tree typically grows to a maximum height of 3 to 6 m (9.8 to 19.7 ft) and has a shrubby habit. [4] It grows to a width of 2 to 3 m (6 ft 7 in to 9 ft 10 in) and has a dense canopy. [5] It has fibrous grey coloured bark on the lower part of the trunk which becomes red-grey minni ritchi style bark further up and on the main branches. The terete and glabrous branchlets have obscure ridges. Like most species of Acacia it has phyllodes rather than true leaves. The linear evergreen phyllodes taper towards the base and are infrequently curved towards the apex. The glabrous phyllodes have a length of 12 to 23 cm (4.7 to 9.1 in) and a width of 0.9 to 2.3 mm (0.035 to 0.091 in) flattened but still quite thick and uniformly finely striated with an obscure midnerve surrounded by many closely spaced longitudinal nerves. It blooms between July and November producing golden flowers. The cylindrical flower-spikes are situated on condensed axillary racemes and have a length of 1.5 to 3.5 cm (0.59 to 1.38 in) with light golden coloured flowers. The brittle and glabrous seed pods that form after flowering have a linear shape that is straight to slightly curved and are raised over and constricted between seeds with a length of 2.5 to 9 cm (0.98 to 3.54 in) and a width of 2 to 3.5 mm (0.079 to 0.138 in) and are longitudinally wrinkled. The shiny black seeds in the pods are arranged longitudinally and have an oblong-elliptic shape with a length of 4 to 5 mm (0.16 to 0.20 in) with a pale halo and an open areole. [4]
The specific epithet honours Des Nelson, a botanist who lived in Alice Springs, and the first to collect the species in 1964. [3] This species was originally described as Acacia nelsonii by Maslin in 1980, however, the name had been previously used by William Safford in 1914 for a Mexican species. [6]
It is endemic to a small area among the plains and hills of the Rodinga Range, Train Hills and Pillar Range on Allambi Station and Todd River Station in the southern part of the Northern Territory to the south of Alice Springs where it is often situated along stony watercourses and in dry rocky gullies at the foot of the ranges and on rocky cliffs composed of sandstone. [4]
Acacia linifolia, known colloquially as white wattle, or flax wattle, is a species of Acacia native to eastern Australia.
Acacia anastomosa, also known as Carson River wattle, is a shrub belonging to the genus Acacia and the subgenus Juliflorae that is endemic to north western Australia.
Acacia conniana is a shrub belonging to the genus Acacia and the subgenus Juliflorae that is endemic to the southern coast of western Australia.
Acacia effusifolia is a shrub or tree belonging to the genus Acacia and the subgenus Juliflorae. It is native to an area in the Mid West and the Wheatbelt regions of Western Australia.
Acacia latior is a shrub belonging to the genus Acacia and the subgenus Juliflorae that is endemic to western Australia.
Acacia leeuweniana, also commonly known as Leeuwen's wattle or Spear Hill wattle, is a tree belonging to the genus Acacia and the subgenus Juliflorae that is endemic to north western Australia.
Acacia rhodophloia, commonly known as minni ritchi or western red mulga, is a tree or shrub belonging to the genus Acacia and the subgenus Juliflorae that is endemic to a large area of arid central western Australia. The Indigenous group the Kurrama peoples know the plant as mantaru.
Acacia sulcaticaulis, also commonly known as the Mount Mulgine fluted wattle, is a shrub or tree belonging to the genus Acacia and the subgenus Juliflorae that is native to a small area in western Australia.
Acacia pachypoda is a shrub belonging to the genus Acacia and the subgenus Phyllodineae that is endemic to south western Australia.
Acacia spathulifolia commonly known as Gold carpet or the Gold carpet wattle is a shrub of the genus Acacia and the subgenus Phyllodineae that is endemic to coastal parts of western Australia.
Acacia vittata, commonly known as Lake Logue wattle, is a shrub of the genus Acacia and the subgenus Plurinerves that is endemic to a small area in western Australia.
Acacia macdonnelliensis, commonly known as the MacDonnell mulga or the Hill mulga, is a species of Acacia native to central Australia. The Indigenous Australians the Alyawarr peoples know the plant as irrar, the Kaytetye know it as arleth-arlethe or arwele arleth-arlethe and the Western Arrernte peoples know it as irrkwarteke.
Acacia juncifolia, commonly known as rush-leaf wattle, is a shrub or tree belonging to the genus Acacia and the subgenus Phyllodineae that is endemic to north eastern Australia.
Acacia obtusata, commonly known as blunt-leaf wattle or obtuse wattle, is a tree or shrub belonging to the genus Acacia and the subgenus Phyllodineae native to eastern Australia.
Acacia perangusta, commonly known as eprapah wattle, is a tree or shrub belonging to the genus Acacia and the subgenus Phyllodineae native to eastern Australia.
Acacia blakei, commonly known as Blake's wattle or Wollomombi wattle, is a shrub belonging to the genus Acacia and the subgenus Juliflorae that is native to north eastern Australia.
Acacia brassii is a shrub belonging to the genus Acacia and the subgenus Juliflorae that is native to north eastern Australia.
Acacia meiosperma is a shrub or tree belonging to the genus Acacia and the subgenus Juliflorae that is native to north eastern Australia.
Acacia sparsiflora, also known as currawong or currawang, is a tree belonging to the genus Acacia and the subgenus Juliflorae that is native to a large area in eastern Australia.
Acacia torulosa is a shrub or tree belonging to the genus Acacia and the subgenus Juliflorae that is native to north eastern Australia.