Acacia gracilifolia
| Graceful wattle | |
|---|---|
| In the Australian National Botanic Gardens | |
| 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. gracilifolia
|
| Binomial name | |
| Acacia gracilifolia | |
| Occurrence data from AVH | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
|
Racosperma gracilifolium (Maiden & Blakely) Pedley | |
Acacia gracilifolia, commonly known as graceful wattle,[2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to South Australia. It is a resinous, slightly sticky shrub with thread-like phyllodes, spherical heads of light golden yellow flowers and linear, papery pods raised over the seeds.
Description
Acacia gracilifolia is a resinous, slightly sticky shrub that typically grows to a height of 1 to 2 metres (3.3 to 6.6 ft) and has slender, glabrous branchlets with yellow ribs. Its phyllodes are thread-like, straight or slightly curved, 50–100 mm (2.0–3.9 in) long and about 1 mm (0.039 in) wide with two veins on each side, separated by a groove, and up to four glands, the lowest 10–15 mm (0.39–0.59 in) above the pulvinus. The flowers are borne in usually two spherical to oblong heads in axils on a peduncle 5–8 mm (0.20–0.31 in) long, each head with 23 to 26 light golden yellow flowers. Flowering occurs between August and November, and the pods are linear, firmly papery, up to 70 mm (2.8 in) long and about 2 mm (0.079 in) wide. The seeds are oblong, 3.5–4.0 mm (0.14–0.16 in) long with a small aril.[2][3][4][5]
Taxonomy
Acacia gracilifolia was first formally described in 1927 by the botanists Joseph Maiden and William Blakely in the Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales from specimens collected in the Flinders Range by Walter Gill in 1900.[6][7] The specific epithet (gracilifolia) is means 'thin or slender leaves' referring to the phyllodes.[2]
Distribution and habitat
Graceful wattle occurs in South Australia between Wilmington and Telowie Gorge Conservation Park where it grows in gorges and on rocky hillsides, often in shallow loam in woodland scrub.[3]
See also
References
- ^ a b "Acacia gracilifolia". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 10 February 2026.
- ^ a b c "Acacia gracilifolia (Leguminosae) Graceful Wattle". Seeds of South Australia. Retrieved 10 February 2026.
- ^ a b Maslin, Bruce R. "Acacia gracilifolia". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Canberra. Retrieved 10 February 2026.
- ^ "Acacia gracilifolia". World Wide Wattle. Western Australian Herbarium. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
- ^ "Acacia gracilifolia". Australian Biological Resources Study. Retrieved 10 February 2026.
- ^ "Acacia gracilifolia". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 10 February 2026.
- ^ Maiden, Joseph H.; Blakely, William F. (1927). "Descriptions of fifteen new Acacia and notes on several other species". Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales. 60: 191–192. Retrieved 10 February 2026.