Acacia gunnii

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Ploughshare wattle
Ploughshare wattle (2888769325).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. gunnii
Binomial name
Acacia gunnii
Acacia gunniiDistMap411.png
Occurrence data from AVH
Synonyms
  • Acacia gunnii var. angustifoliaBenth.
  • Acacia gunnii var. hirsutiorBenth.
  • Acacia vomeriformisA.Cunn. ex Benth.
  • Racosperma gunnii(Benth.) Pedley

Acacia gunnii, commonly known as ploughshare wattle [1] or dog's tooth wattle, [1] is a woody shrub which is endemic to south-eastern Australia found in dry heaths and woodlands. [2] [3] It ranges from Queensland, then New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, Victoria, South Australia, down to Tasmania. [2] Acacia gunnii grows to up to 1 metre high and has prickly phyllodes which are 4 to 15 mm long. The cream to pale yellow globular flowerheads appear singly in the axils of the phyllodes in June to October, followed by curved or coiled seed pods which are 40 mm long and 4 to 5 mm wide. [4] [5] Acacia gunnii grows up to 1 meter tall and has prickly phyllodes which are 4 to 15mm in length with cream to pale-yellow globular flower heads appearing in phyllode axils in June through to October, followed by curved or coiled seed pods which are 40mm long and 4 to 5 mm wide. [6] [7] The species was first formally described by English botanist George Bentham in the London Journal of Botany in 1842. [4] It occurs in South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, and Queensland. [4]

Contents

Description

Acacia gunnii is a woody decumbent to erect shrub up to 1 meter in height, branchlets are terete usually covered with stiff hairs. [6] [3] Dark green phyllodes are asymmetric, can be sessile, variable in shape usually with a pronounced gland on adaxial margin near or below middle. [6] [8] Phyllodes are 4-15mm long and 1.4-4mm across and appear glabrous or finely haired with a prominent mid-vein, sometimes the apex pungent pointed. [6] [8]

Inflorescences are simple with 1 in the axis of phyllodes, peduncles are hairy, 4–15 mm in length with the head being globose, 20-30 flowered, cream to yellow coloured, and 5-8mm in diameter. [8]

Pods are more or less straight being 40mm long and 4-5mm in width, dark brown to black containing longitudinal to oblique seeds. Pods are chartaceous to coriaceous, glaberous and occasionally are covered in hair. [8] [6]

Taxonomy

The species was first formally described by English botanist George Bentham in the London Journal of Botany in 1842. [9]

Botanical classification

Acacia gunnii is a member of the plant genus Acacia, commonly known as the Wattle's, which belong to the sub-family Mimosoidea, which is under the family Fabaceae . [10] [11] Globally there are approximately 1350 Acacia species, and they are the largest group of Australian vascular plants with near 1000 different species. [10] [12]

The Fabaceae family is split into three distinct sub-families:

However, recent studies have shown that a new classification system consisting of six sub-families within Fabaceae is possible, and under such classification system the genus Acacia is included in the sub-family Caesalpinioideae, [12] [11] however this is yet to be adopted by the Australasian Virtual Herbarium.

Hybrids with other species

Acacia gunnii is reported to have hybridised with Acacia ulicifolia and Acacia brownii in New South Wales and Victoria which has resulted in specimens with elongated phyllodes and with a much reduced gland angle. [6] [13] Possible hybrids with elongated phyllodes occur in the same locations as the normal form for each species. [13]

Distribution and habitat

Acacia gunni is a widespread woody shrub species along the eastern seaboard of Australia. It is commonly found along the Great Divide and associated slopes from the Grampions, Victoria, through to near Stanthorpe in Queensland, [14] It is also found uncommonly in Tasmania. [3] Acacia gunnii occurs on rocky hillsides and amongst rock outcrops in open dry sclerophyll forest usually mainly composed of Eucalyptus olbliqua and Eucalyptus baxteri as the dominant Eucalyptus species. [14] [8] It is generally associated with sandy loam soils where rainfall is around 500 – 1000 mm per annum. [14] It is most abundant in regions of partially disturbed and open rocky habitat with sparse understory, commonly, along track/road edges. [14]

Related Research Articles

<i>Acacia leprosa</i> Species of legume

Acacia leprosa, also known as cinnamon wattle, is an acacia native to Australia. It occurs in woodland in Tasmania, New South Wales and Victoria. It occurs as a hardy shrub or small tree. The phyllodes are 3–14 cm long and contain oil glands. The lemon-yellow flowers occur as globular heads in clusters in the leaf axils. The fruit is flat seed pod.

<i>Acacia cultriformis</i> Species of legume

Acacia cultriformis, known as the knife-leaf wattle, dogtooth wattle, half-moon wattle or golden-glow wattle, is a perennial tree or shrub of the genus Acacia native to Australia. It is widely cultivated, and has been found to have naturalised in Asia, Africa, North America, New Zealand and South America. A. cultriformis grows to a height of about 4 m (13 ft) and has triangle-shaped phyllodes. The yellow flowers appear from August to November in its natural range. Its attractive foliage and bright flowers make it a popular garden plant.

<i>Acacia pycnantha</i> Golden wattle of southeastern Australia

Acacia pycnantha, most commonly known as the golden wattle, is a tree of the family Fabaceae. It grows to a height of 8 metres and has phyllodes instead of true leaves. The profuse fragrant, golden flowers appear in late winter and spring, followed by long seed pods. Explorer Thomas Mitchell collected the type specimen, from which George Bentham wrote the species description in 1842. The species is native to southeastern Australia as an understorey plant in eucalyptus forest. Plants are cross-pollinated by several species of honeyeater and thornbill, which visit nectaries on the phyllodes and brush against flowers, transferring pollen between them.

<i>Acacia brachystachya</i> Species of plant

Acacia brachystachya, commonly known as umbrella mulga, turpentine mulga or false bowgada, is a shrub in the family Fabaceae. The species occurs in mulga and heath communities on sandhills and rocky ridges in all mainland states of Australia, except Victoria.

<i>Acacia</i> Genus of plants

Acacia, commonly known as wattles or acacias, is a genus of about 1,084 species of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa, South America, and Australasia, but is now be reserved for species mainly from Australia, with others from New Guinea, Southeast Asia, and the Indian Ocean. The genus name is Neo-Latin, borrowed from the Greek ἀκακία, a term used in antiquity to describe a preparation extracted from Vachellia nilotica, the original type species.

<i>Acacia implexa</i> Species of plant

Acacia implexa, commonly known as lightwood or hickory wattle, is a fast-growing Australian tree, the timber of which is used for furniture making. The wood is prized for its finish and strength. The foliage was used to make pulp and dye cloth.

<i>Acacia acanthoclada</i> Species of plant

Acacia acanthoclada, commonly known as harrow wattle, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to southern continental Australia. It is a low, highly branched, spreading and spiny shrub with wedge-shaped to triangular or egg-shaped phyllodes with the narrower end towards the base, and spherical heads of up to 30 flowers, and linear, spirally-coiled pods.

<i>Acacia acinacea</i> Species of plant

Acacia acinacea, commonly known as gold dust wattle, wreath wattle or round-leaf wattle. is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to south-eastern continental Australia. It is a bushy or straggling shrub with asymmetric, narrowly oblong to broadly egg-shaped phyllodes with the narrower end towards the base, flowers arranged in a spherical heads 4.0–4.5 mm (0.16–0.18 in) in diameter with 8 to 20 flowers, and a spirally coiled to twisted pods up to 3.0–4.5 mm (0.12–0.18 in) long.

<i>Acacia stenophylla</i> Species of tree

Acacia stenophylla is a species of Acacia commonly referred to as the shoestring acacia. It is an evergreen tree in the family Fabaceae native to Australia. It is not considered rare or endangered.

<i>Acacia truncata</i> Species of legume

Acacia truncata, commonly known as the angle leaved wattle or west coast wattle, is a coastal shrub in the family Fabaceae, with a native distribution along the southwest coast of Western Australia. A specimen of this wattle was part of an early European botanical collection, perhaps the first from Australia.

<i>Acacia pravissima</i> Species of legume

Acacia pravissima, commonly known as Ovens wattle, Oven wattle, wedge-leaved wattle and Tumut wattle, is a species of flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. It is an evergreen shrub native to Victoria, the South West Slopes and Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia.

<i>Acacia williamsonii</i> Species of legume

Acacia williamsonii, known colloquially as Whirrakee wattle, is a species of Acacia that is endemic to the Bendigo region of Victoria. Naturalised populations also exist in Southern and Northern NSW.

<i>Acacia hakeoides</i> Species of plant

Acacia hakeoides, known colloquially as hakea wattle, hakea-leaved wattle or western black wattle, is a species of flowering plant endemic to southern Australia. It is a bushy shrub or tree with lance-shaped to linear phyllodes, racemes of bright golden-yellow flowers and more or less leathery to leathery to hard and brittle pods. It can be found growing in sandy soils in semiarid and Eucalyptus woodland in the region.

<i>Acacia burkittii</i> Species of legume

Acacia burkittii is a species of wattle endemic to Western Australia, South Australia and western New South Wales, where it is found in arid zones, and is a perennial shrub in the family Fabaceae. Common names for it include Burkitt's wattle, fine leaf jam, gunderbluey, pin bush and sandhill wattle. It has also been introduced into India. Previously this species was referred to as Acacia acuminata subsp. burkittii, but is now considered to be a separate species. It grows in mallee, eucalypt and mulga woodland or shrubland, often on sandhills.

<i>Acacia pataczekii</i> Species of plant

Acacia pataczekii is a rare leguminous species of flowering plant endemic to Tasmania, Australia. An attractive evergreen shrub to small tree grown ornamentally outside of its native range, it is believed to be the most frost hardy of all the Acacia.

<i>Acacia adunca</i> Species of legume

Acacia adunca, commonly known as Wallangarra wattle or cascade wattle, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is an erect, bushy shrub or tree with narrowly linear phyllodes, racemes of spherical bright golden flowers, and leathery pods.

<i>Acacia aculeatissima</i> Species of legume

Acacia aculeatissima, commonly known as thin-leaf wattle or snake wattle, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to south-eastern continental Australia. It is usually a prostrate shrub with sharply pointed, needle-shaped phyllodes, flowers arranged in up to 3 more or less spherical heads of 15 to 25 flowers, and linear, papery pods up to 60 mm (2.4 in) long.

<i>Acacia abbreviata</i> Species of legume

Acacia abbreviata is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to arid parts of northern Australia. It is a spreading, glabrous, resinous shrub with linear to narrowly oblong phyllodes, spike of golden flowers, and linear to lance-shaped pods.

<i>Acacia glandulicarpa</i> Species of legume

Acacia glandulicarpa, commonly known as the hairy-pod wattle, is a perennial shrub belonging to the genus Acacia and the subgenus Phyllodinea that is native to parts of south eastern Australia.

<i>Acacia latzii</i> Species of plant

Acacia latzii, also known as Latz's wattle and Tjilpi wattle, is a shrubby tree of the genus Acacia. It is native to the Finke bioregion.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Acacia gunnii Benth". Australian Plant Name Index . Australian National Botanic Gardens . Retrieved 31 August 2010.
  2. 1 2 "Acacia gunnii". PlantNET - New South Wales Flora Online. Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust, Sydney Australia. Retrieved 31 August 2009.
  3. 1 2 3 "Key to Tasmanian Dicots". www.utas.edu.au. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 "ABRS Flora of Australia Online Search Results: Acacia gunnii". Flora of Australia Online . Australian National Botanic Gardens. Archived from the original on 26 October 2012. Retrieved 29 March 2014.
  5. ↑ Wild Plants of Victoria (database). Viridans Biological Databases & Department of Sustainability and Environment. 2009.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Flora of Victoria". vicflora.rbg.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  7. ↑ "Australian National Botanic Gardens - Growing Acacia". www.anbg.gov.au. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 "PlantNET - FloraOnline". plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  9. ↑ "Fact sheet for Acacia gunnii". www.flora.sa.gov.au. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  10. 1 2 Australian National Botanic Gardens, Parks Australia. "Wattles, genus Acacia - Australian Plant Information". www.anbg.gov.au. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  11. 1 2 "New Subfamily Classification of the Leguminosae and Insights into Plastomes of the Mimosoid Clade----Chinese Academy of Sciences". english.cas.cn. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  12. 1 2 3 "Acacia". Australian Native Plants Society (Australia). Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  13. 1 2 "Factsheet - Acacia gunnii". apps.lucidcentral.org. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  14. 1 2 3 4 "Acacia gunnii" (PDF). Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges: Threatened species list. May 2008. Retrieved 21 February 2003.
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