Acacia leucoclada, commonly known as the northern silver wattle, is a species of Acacia native to eastern Australia.[3]
| Northern silver wattle | |
|---|---|
| |
| Acacia leucoclada | |
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. leucoclada
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| Binomial name | |
| Acacia leucoclada | |
| |
| Occurrence data from AVH | |
Description
editThe tree typically grows to a height of 2.5 to 20 metres (8 to 66 ft) and has smooth grey bark that becomes rough and fissured. It has angled to terete ridged branchlets.[3] The tips of immature foliage are a silvery to whitish, coloured and densely haired. The silvery to green and herbaceous or subcoriaceous leaves form along 2 to 9.5 cm (0.79 to 3.74 in) long rachis with 5 to 18 pairs of pinnae that are 1.5 to 5.5 cm (0.59 to 2.17 in) in length. There are 11 to 45 pairs of pinnules that have a narrowly oblend shape and are 1 to 6 mm (0.039 to 0.236 in) in length with a single vein.[4] It blooms between July and October producing simple inflorescences in axillary and terminal racemes supported on 1 to 7 mm (0.039 to 0.276 in) long hairy stalks. The spherical flower-heads have a diameter of 4 to 7 mm (0.16 to 0.28 in) and contain 20 to 26 yellow to bright yellow flowers. The seed pods that form after flowering are straight to slightly curved and occasionally twisted. The thinly leathery pods are more or less flat and often slightly constricted between the seeds with a length of 3 to 12 cm (1.2 to 4.7 in) and a width of 4.5 to 12 mm (0.18 to 0.47 in) and are usually have a fine white powdery coating.[3]
Taxonomy and naming
editA. leucoclada was first described in 1966, by Mary Tindale.[1][2] The specific epithet, leucoclada, derives from two Greek words: leucos (white) and clados (shoot/sprout) which were combined to give leucocladus, - a, -um, describing the plant as having white shoots.[5]
Distribution
editThe range of A. leucoclada extends from south-eastern Queensland to the north coast, tablelands region, the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range, the central coast, Hunter River valley and Pilliga scrub regions of New South Wales.[4] It is mostly found as far south as Wagga and is often part of sclerophyll woodland communities growing in a variety of different habitats and soil types.[3]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Acacia leucoclada". Australian Plant Name Index, IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government.
- ^ a b Tindale, M.D. (1966) Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 91: 149
- ^ a b c d P.G.Kodela (2002). "Acacia leucoclada Tindale". Plantnet - New South Wales Flora Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
- ^ a b "Acacia leucoclada". WorldWideWattle. Western Australian Herbarium. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
- ^ Backer, C.A. (1936) Verklarend woordenboek der wetenschappelijke namen van de in Nederland en Nederlandsch-Indië in het wild groeiende en in tuinen en parken gekweekte varens en hoogere planten (Edition Nicoline van der Sijs). (Explanatory dictionary of the scientific names of .. plants grown in the Netherlands and the Dutch East Indies...)