Acacia drewiana

Acacia drewiana
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Caesalpinioideae
Clade: Mimosoid clade
Genus: Acacia
Species:
A. drewiana
Binomial name
Acacia drewiana
Occurrence data from AVH
Synonyms[1]

Racosperma drewianum (W.Fitzg.) Pedley subsp. drewianum

Acacia drewiana is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a subshrub with hairy branchlets, bipinnate leaves, spherical heads of golden yellow flowers and leathery, narrowly oblong, crusty pods.

Description

Acacia drewiana is a subshrub that typically grows to a height of 20–70 cm (7.9–27.6 in), commonly to about 30 cm (12 in) and has winding branchlets with soft hairs. The leaves are sessile bipinnate, 5–20 mm (0.20–0.79 in) long, continuous with and extending downwards from the branchlet. Each leaf has 2 to 4 pairs of pinnae, each with 2 to 6 pairs of narrowly oblong pinnules 2–7 mm (0.079–0.276 in) long, 1.0–1.5 mm (0.039–0.059 in) wide, with the edges rolled down or curved under. The flowers are borne in a spherical head in axils on a hairy peduncle 10–20 mm (0.39–0.79 in) long, each head large with 22 to 35 densely arranged, golden yellow flowers. Flowering occurs from April to July, and the pods are leathery, narrowly oblong, 30–70 mm (1.2–2.8 in) long, 6–7 mm (0.24–0.28 in) wide and crusty with shaggy and soft hairs.[2][3][4]

Taxonomy

Acacia drewiana was first formally described in 1917 by William Vincent Fitzgerald in the Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales from specimens he collected near Cannington.[5][6]

In 1975, Bruce Maslin described two subspecies of A. drewiana, and the names are accepted by the Australian Plant Census:

  • Acacia drewiana W.Fitzg. subsp. drewiana[7] has the tips of the pinna stalks flattened and turned down, the pinnules mostly 4–7 mm (0.16–0.28 in) long.[3][8][9]
  • Acacia drewiana subsp. minor Maslin[10] the tips of the pinnacle stalks straight or turned down but not flattened, the pinnules 2–4 mm (0.079–0.157 in) long.[3][11][12]

Distribution and habitat

Conservation status

Acacia drewiana subsp. drewiana is listed as "not threatened", but subsp. minor is listed as "Priority Two" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions,[4] meaning that it is poorly known and from one or a few locations.[13]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Acacia drewiana". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  2. ^ Maslin, Bruce R. "Acacia drewiana". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Canberra. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Acacia drewiana". World Wide Wattle. Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  4. ^ a b "Acacia drewiana". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  5. ^ "Acacia drewiana". APNI. Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  6. ^ Fitzgerald, William Vincent (1917). Maiden, Joseph H. (ed.). "Notes on Acacia, No. III. — extra-tropical Western Australia (including descriptions of new species)". Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales. 51: 273–274. Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  7. ^ "Acacia drewiana subsp. drewiana". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  8. ^ a b Maslin, Bruce R. "Acacia drewiana subsp. drewiana". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Canberra. Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  9. ^ a b "Acacia drewiana subsp. drewiana". Australian Biological Reseurces Study. Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  10. ^ "Acacia drewiana subsp. minor". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  11. ^ a b Maslin, Bruce R. "Acacia drewiana subsp. minor". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Canberra. Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  12. ^ a b "Acacia drewiana subsp. minor". Australian Biological Reseurces Study. Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  13. ^ "Conservation codes for Western Australian Flora and Fauna" (PDF). Government of Western Australia Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. Retrieved 17 October 2025.