| Helm's wattle | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Clade: | Mimosoideae |
| Genus: | Acacia |
| Species: | A. helmsiana |
| Binomial name | |
| Acacia helmsiana | |
 | |
| Occurrence data from AVH | |
Acacia helmsiana, commonly known as Helm's wattle, [1] is a shrub of the genus Acacia and the subgenus Plurinerves that is endemic to arid areas of central and western Australia.
The bushy spreading resinous shrub typically grows to a height of 0.45 to 2 metres (1 to 7 ft). [2] It tends to branch from ground level and the glabrous, resinous, brown branchlets are slightly angled toward the extremities with minute stipules and grey to reddish-brown coloured bark. [3] Like most species of Acacia it has phyllodes rather than true leaves. The evergreen, resinous, terete or compressed phyllodes have a length of 1 to 2 cm (0.39 to 0.79 in) and a width of 0.5 to 1.5 mm (0.020 to 0.059 in) and are straight, curved or slightly sigmoid and have two obscure often brownish and impressed veins. [3] It blooms from June to August to November and produces yellow flowers. [2] It has simple inflorescences that occur singly in the axils with spherical flower-heads that contain 20 to 30 light- to mid-golden coloured flowers. The seed pods that form after flowering are strongly curved to coiled and have a length of about 4 cm (1.6 in) and a width of around 4 mm (0.16 in) with longitudinally arranged seeds inside. [4]
The species was first formally described by the botanist Joseph Maiden in 1920 as a part of the work Notes on Acacias, No. IV, with descriptions of new species as published in the Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales. It was reclassified as Racosperma helmsianum by Leslie Pedley in 2003 then returned to genus Acacia in 2006. [1] The specific epithet honours the explorer and naturalist, Richard Helms (naturalist), who collected the type specimen during the Elder Expedition. [3]
It is native to an area in the north west of South Australia, the south western Northern Territory and the Goldfields region of Western Australia where it is commonly situated on sand dunes and sand plains growing in red or yellow sandy soils. [2] The bulk of the population is found from around Wiluna in the west through to Mount Olga in the Northern Territory in the east and is usually a part of open spinifex communities. [4] In South Australia it is restricted to the Serpentine Lakes area. [3]
Acacia cognata, commonly known as bower wattle, river wattle or narrow-leaved bower wattle, is a tree or shrub species that is endemic to south eastern 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 cracentis is a shrub belonging to the genus Acacia and the subgenus Juliflorae that is endemic to south western Australia.
Acacia epedunculata is a shrub belonging to the genus Acacia and the subgenus Juliflorae that is endemic to a very small area in arid parts of western Australia.
Acacia filamentosa is a shrub belonging to the genus Acacia and the subgenus Juliflorae that is endemic to north western Australia.
Acacia filifolia is a shrub belonging to the genus Acacia and the subgenus Juliflorae that is endemic to western Australia.
Acacia oncinocarpa is a shrub or tree belonging to the genus Acacia and the subgenus Juliflorae that is endemic to northern Australia.
Acacia dentifera, commonly known as tooth-bearing acacia, is a shrub belonging to the genus Acacia and the subgenus Phyllodineae that is endemic to south western Australia.
Acacia rossei, also known as Yellowdine wattle, is a shrub of the genus Acacia and the subgenus Phyllodineae that is endemic to south western Australia.
Acacia validinervia also commonly known as nyalanyalara, nyala nyala, alumaru or blue wattle, is a shrub of the genus Acacia and the subgenus Phyllodineae endemic to arid areas of inland Australia.
Acacia abrupta is a shrub of the genus Acacia and the subgenus Plurinerves that is endemic to arid parts of central and western Australia.
Acacia lobulata, commonly known as Chiddarcooping wattle, is a shrub of the genus Acacia and the subgenus Plurinerves that is endemic to a small area of south western Australia. It was declared as rare flora in 1997 and is now listed a Endangered under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
Acacia nivea is a shrub of the genus Acacia and the subgenus Plurinerves that is endemic to south western Australia.
Acacia obtecta is a shrub of the genus Acacia and the subgenus Plurinerves that is endemic to a small area in south western Australia.
Acacia pelophila is a shrub of the genus Acacia and the subgenus Plurinerves that is endemic to a small area along the west coast of western Australia.
Acacia recurvata, commonly known as the recurved wattle, is a shrub of the genus Acacia and the subgenus Plurinerves that is endemic to a small area of western Australia.
Acacia sciophanes, commonly known as the Ghost wattle or Wundowlin wattle, is a shrub of the genus Acacia and the subgenus Plurinerves that is endemic to a small area in south western Australia. In 1995 it was declared as rare in 1995 according to the Western Australian Wildlife Conservation Act 1950 and is listed as endangered under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
Acacia trineura, known colloquially as three-nerve wattle or three nerved wattle or green wattle, is a species of Acacia native to south eastern Australia.
Acacia gracilifolia, commonly known as graceful wattle, is a shrub belonging to the genus Acacia and the subgenus Plurinerves native to a small area of central southern Australia.
Acacia cataractae is a shrub belonging to the genus Acacia and the subgenus Juliflorae that is native to northern Australia.