Acacia alpina, commonly known as alpine wattle[2] is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to alpine and subalpine regions of south-eastern continental Australia. It is an erect or spreading shrub or tree with egg-shaped or broadly egg-shaped phyllodes with the narrower end towards the base, flowers arranged in 1 or 2 racemes in the axils of phyllodes, each with cylindrical to oblong, usually pale yellow flowers, and thin-walled, gently curved or coiled pods 30–80 mm (1.2–3.1 in) long.
| Alpine wattle | |
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| In the Australian National Botanic Gardens | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Caesalpinioideae |
| Clade: | Mimosoid clade |
| Genus: | Acacia |
| Species: | A. alpina
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| Binomial name | |
| Acacia alpina | |
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| Occurrence data from AVH | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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Description
editAcacia alpina is an erect or spreading, tangled shrub that typically grows to 1–2 m (3 ft 3 in – 6 ft 7 in) high and up to 10 m (33 ft) wide. The phyllodes are egg-shaped, broadly egg-shaped or more or less round and asymmetrical, 15–35 mm (0.59–1.38 in) long and 8–25 mm (0.31–0.98 in) wide. There is a D-shaped stipule at the base of the phyllode, but that falls off as the phyllode develops.[2][3][4][5]
The flowers are usually pale yellow, borne in 1 or 2 cylindrical to oblong spikes 5–15 mm (0.20–0.59 in) long in the axils of phyllodes, each spike with few flowers on a peduncle 1–3 mm (0.039–0.118 in) long. Flowering mainly occurs from October to November, and the fruit is a thin-walled, gently curved or coiled pod, 30–80 mm (1.2–3.1 in) long and 3–6 mm (0.12–0.24 in) wide, containing narrowly elliptic seeds 3.5–5 mm (0.14–0.20 in) long.[2][3][4][5]
Taxonomy
editAcacia alpina was first formally described in 1863 by Ferdinand von Mueller in his Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae from specimens collected at an altitude of 4,500–500 ft (1,370–150 m).[6][7] The specific epithet (alpina) means "of the alps", referring to the species' usual habitat.[4]
Distribution
editAlpine acacia grows in woodlands and heathlands and on open plains in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales and southern parts of the Australian Capital Territory and further south to around Mount Baw Baw in the eastern Victorian highlands at an altitude of 1,300–1,800 m (4,300–5,900 ft). It is often situated in granitic and windswept areas and sometimes forms dense thickets.[3]
This species is a close relative of Acacia phlebophylla and the two species tend to hybridize. It often can be found in alpine and subalpine areas of Australia.[3]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Acacia alpina". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
- ^ a b c Harden, Gwen J.; Kodela, Phillip G. "Acacia alpina". Royal Botnic Garden, Sydney. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Acacia alpina". World Wide Wattle. Western Australian Herbarium. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
- ^ a b c Court, Arthur B.; Maslin, Bruce R.; Kodela, Phillip G. "Acacia alpina". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Canberra. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
- ^ a b Entwisle, Timothy J.; Maslin, Bruce R.; Cowan, Richard S.; Court, Arthur B. "Acacia alpina". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
- ^ "Acacia alpina". APNI. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
- ^ von Mueller, Ferdinand (1863). Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae. Vol. 3. Melbourne: Victorian Government Printer. p. 129. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
