Acacia gonocarpa

Last updated

Wuluru
Acacia gonocarpa.jpg
In Kakadu National Park
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. gonocarpa
Binomial name
Acacia gonocarpa
Acacia gonocarpaDistMap397.png
Occurrence data from AVH
Synonyms [1]
  • Acacia gonocarpaF.Muell. var. gonocarpa
  • Racosperma gonocarpum(F.Muell.) Pedley

Acacia gonocarpa commonly known as wuluru, [2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to the northern Australia. It is an erect, many-stemmed, spindly or spreading shrub or tree, with linear to narrowly elliptic phyllodes, spikes of pale yellow or cream-coloured flowers and more or less woody, dark brown pods.

Contents

Description

Acacia gonocarpa is an erect shrub that typically grows to a height of up to 2 m (6 ft 7 in), sometimes a tree to 3 m (9.8 ft), and is spindly or spreading with many stems, often with drooping branches and a sparse canopy. Its bark is smooth but finely fissured at the base. The phyllodes are linear to narrowly elliptic, 50–120 mm (2.0–4.7 in) long and 0.7–1.8 mm (0.028–0.071 in) wide, sometimes in groups of two or three, each with a prominent midvein. There are linear, white stipules 0.4–0.7 mm (0.016–0.028 in) at the base of the phyllodes. The flowers are pale yellow to cream-coloured and borne in up to three spikes up to 30 mm (1.2 in) long in axils. Flowering occurs from October to February, and the pods are straight or curved, 20–85 mm (0.79–3.35 in) long and 3–6 mm (0.12–0.24 in) wide, more or less woody and dark brown with wings 2–4.5 mm (0.079–0.177 in) wide and often convoluted. The seeds are brown with a conical aril. [3] [4] [5] [6]

Taxonomy

Acacia gonocarpa was first formally described in 1859 by the botanist Ferdinand von Mueller in the Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society, Botany . [7] [8] The specific epithet (gonocarpa) means 'angle-fruited'. [9]

Distribution

Wuluru is found in the Kimberley region of Western Australia [2] and the Top End of the Northern Territory. [5] It grows in woodland, sometimes with Melaleuca nervosa , on the top of sandstone escarpments or on the lower slopes of alluvial fans, on sandy, gravelly soil. [3]

Conservation status

Acacia gonocarpa is listed as "not threatened" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, [2] and as of "least concern" under the Northern Territory Government Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act. [5]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Acacia gonocarpa". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 "Acacia gonocarpa". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  3. 1 2 Tindale, Mary D.; Kodela, Phillip G. Kodela, Phillip G. (ed.). "Acacia gonocarpa". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Canberra. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
  4. ↑ "Acacia gonocarpa". Australian Biological Resources Study. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 "Acacia gonocarpa". Northern Territory Government. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
  6. ↑ "Acacia gonocarpa". World Wide Wattle. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
  7. ↑ "Acacia gonocarpa". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
  8. ↑ von Mueller, Ferdinand (1859). "Contributiones ad Acaciarum Australiae Cognitionem". Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society, Botany. 3: 136. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
  9. ↑ George, Alex S.; Sharr, Francis A. (2023). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings - A Glossary (fifth ed.). Kardinya: Four Gables Press. p. 213. ISBN   9780645629538.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.