Acacia glaucissima

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Acacia glaucissima
Acacia glaucissima.jpg
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. glaucissima
Binomial name
Acacia glaucissima
Acacia glaucissimaDistMap390.png
Occurrence data from AVH
Synonyms [1]

Racosperma glaucissimum(Maslin) Pedley

Acacia glaucissima is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a spreading, glabrous shrub with narrowly elliptic to oblong or lance-shaped phyllodes with the narrower end towards the base, spherical heads of golden yellow flowers and twisted to coiled black pods.

Contents

Description

Acacia glaucissima is a dense, spreading, glabrous shrub that typically grows to a height of 0.5–1.5 m (1 ft 8 in – 4 ft 11 in) and has terete, more or less ribbed branchlets. Its phyllodes are narrowly elliptic to oblong or lance-shaped with the narrower end towards the base, sometimes egg-shaped or elliptic, more or less wavy or twisted, 20–40 mm (0.79–1.57 in) long and 5–15 mm (0.20–0.59 in) wide. The phyllodes have a coarse to sharp point, thickly leathery and smooth, very glaucous with the midrib and edge veins prominent and a gland mostly 3–7 mm (0.12–0.28 in) above the pulvinus. There are brittle stipules 3–4 mm (0.12–0.16 in) long at the base of the phyllodes. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

The flowers are borne in two spherical heads in racemes in axils on a peduncle 10–20 mm (0.39–0.79 in) long, each head 5–6 mm (0.20–0.24 in) in diameter with 20 to 35 golden yellow flowers. The pods are irregularly twisted to loosely coiled, terete, up to 65 mm (2.6 in) long and 2–3 mm (0.079–0.118 in) wide, thinly leathery to slightly crusty and black. The seeds are oblong, 3 mm (0.12 in) long, almost bright dark brown with a conical to helmet-shaped aril. [2] [3] [4] [5]

Taxonomy

Acacia glaucissima was first formally described in 1999 by Bruce Maslin in the journal Nuytsia from specimens he collected 20 km (12 mi) south of Salmon Gums near the Coolgardie-Esperance Highway in 1989. [2] [7] The specific epithet (glaucisima) means 'blue-tinged', referring to the phyllodes. [3]

Distribution and habitat

This species of wattle occurs from near Mount Madden (about 40 km (25 mi) north-north-west of Ravensthorpe) to near Mount Heywood (about 85 km (53 mi) north-east of Esperance), but mainly occurs between Salmon Gums and Grass Patch and east to Mount Heywood. It grows in sand or on clay flats in open woodland with low scrub or low heath [2] in the Mallee bioregion of south-western Western Australia. [6]

Conservation status

Acacia glaucissima is listed as "not threatened" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. [6]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Acacia glaucissima". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Maslin, Bruce R. (1999). "The taxonomy of fifty-five species of Acacia, primarily Western Australian, in section Phyllodineae (Leguminosae: Mimosoideae)". Nuytsia. 12 (3): 350–351. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 Maslin, Bruce R. "Acacia glaucissima". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Canberra. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
  4. 1 2 "Acacia glaucissima". Australian Biological Resources Study. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
  5. 1 2 "Acacia glaucissima". World Wide Wattle. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 "Acacia glaucissima". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  7. ↑ "Acacia glaucissima". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
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