Acacia fecunda

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Mosquito Creek wattle
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. fecunda
Binomial name
Acacia fecunda
Acacia fecundaDistMap353.png
Occurrence data from AVH

Acacia fecunda, commonly known as Mosquito Creek wattle, [2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to the north of Western Australia. It is a shrub with spreading, more or less open crowns, narrowly elliptic to lance-shaped phyllodes, spikes of light golden yellow flowers and linear pods, rounded over and slightly constricted between the seeds.

Contents

Description

Acacia fecunda is an erect, inverted cone-shaped shrub typically grows to a height of 1.5–3 m (4 ft 11 in – 9 ft 10 in) with spreading, more or less open crowns about 3 m (9.8 ft) wide, and smooth orange or grey bark on the trunk. There are usually two to four main stems with a diameter of 4–5 cm (1.6–2.0 in) at the base of the shrub. Its branchlets are slender, terete and densely covered with white hairs. The phyllodes are wide-spreading to ascending, narrowly elliptic to lance-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, 80–120 mm (3.1–4.7 in) long and 10–15 mm (0.39–0.59 in) wide. There is a distinct pulvinus at the base of the phyllodes. The phyllodes are leathery and often slightly resinous with fine, parallel longitudinal veins. The flowers are light golden yellow, and borne in two spikes in axils, 20–40 mm (0.79–1.57 in) long and 5–6 mm (0.20–0.24 in) in diameter on peduncles 7–12 mm (0.28–0.47 in) long. Flowering occurs between May and August and the many pods are linear, 70–90 mm (2.8–3.5 in) long, 3–4 mm (0.12–0.16 in) wide, firmly papery to very thinly crusty, rounded over and slightly constricted between the seeds. The seeds are oblong, 3.5–4.0 mm (0.14–0.16 in) long and dark brown with a white aril. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

Taxonomy

Acacia fecunda was first formally described in 2008 by Bruce Maslin in the journal Nuytsia , from specimens he collected east of Nullagine in 2004. [3] [7] The specific epithet (fecunda) means 'fruitful' or 'fertile', alluding to the large number of pods produced. [3]

Distribution and habitat

Mosquito Creek wattle grows along shallow creeks and drainage lines, on hills and road verges in a few disjunct populations near where the Oakover River and Davis River meet to the east of Nullagine in the Pilbara bioregions of Western Australia. [2] [4] [6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Acacia fecunda". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 "Acacia fecunda". Wattles of the Pilbara. Government of Western Australia. 2010. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 Maslin, Bruce R. (2008). "New taxa of Acacia (Leguminosae: Mimosoideae) and notes on other species from the Pilbara and adjacent desert regions of Western Australia". Nuytsia. 18: 151–154. Retrieved 27 December 2025.
  4. 1 2 Reid, Jordan E.; Maslin, Bruce R. Kodela, Phillip G. (ed.). "Acacia fecunda". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Canberra. Retrieved 27 December 2025.
  5. ↑ "Acacia fecunda". Australian Biological Resources Study. Retrieved 27 December 2025.
  6. 1 2 "Acacia fecunda". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  7. ↑ "Acacia fecunda". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 27 December 2025.
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