Acacia lauta

Acacia lauta, commonly known as Tara wattle, is a shrub of the genus Acacia and the subgenus Phyllodineae that is endemic to north eastern Australia.

The shrub typically grows to a height of 2 metres (7 ft) and has a sprawling habit. Like most species of Acacia it has phyllodes rather than true leaves. The evergreen, patent to reclined phyllodes have a length of 20 to 20 mm (0.79 to 0.79 in) and a width of 1.5 to 2.5 mm (0.059 to 0.098 in) with a midrib that is slightly raised and quite distinct.^[1] When it blooms it produces simple inflorescences supported on glabrous to sparsely hairy peduncles that are 3 to 7 mm (0.12 to 0.28 in) in length. The spherical flower-heads contain 25 to 30 bright golden flowers. Following flowering glabrous seed pods form with a length of 6 cm (2.4 in) and a width of 4 mm (0.16 in) containing longitudinally arranged seeds with a length of 4 to 5 mm (0.16 to 0.20 in).^[2]

The shrub is closely related to and resembles Acacia johnsonii and is part of the Acacia johnsonii group.^[1]

It is native to a small area of south eastern Queensland on the Darling Downs between Tara and Inglewood growing in sandy soils as a part of open woodland communities.^[1]

It is listed vulnerable under the Australian Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and Queensland Nature Conservation Act 1992.^[3]

• List of Acacia species