Acacia leptocarpa

Acacia leptocarpa, commonly known as north coast wattle,[1] is a shrub or small tree native to New Guinea and coastal regions of northern Australia.[2]

North coast wattle
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Clade: Mimosoideae
Genus: Acacia
Species:
A. leptocarpa
Binomial name
Acacia leptocarpa
A.Cunn. ex Benth.
Occurrence data from AVH
Foliage and seed pods

Description

Acacia leptocarpa normally grows as a small tree, 6 to 10 m (20 to 33 ft) in height[2] but can reach as high as 15 m (49 ft),[3] although it occasionally flowers as a shrub as low as 2 m (6 ft 7 in) tall.[2] It has dark grey to almost black coloured bark of the ‘ironbark’ type. The angular branchlets are lenticellate and glabrous.[3] The phyllodes have falcate shaped blades with a length of 12 to 21 cm (4.7 to 8.3 in) and a width of 1 to 2.5 cm (0.39 to 0.98 in). the glabrous phyllodes have a visible gland on the upper margin with longitudinal and parallel veins, three of which are more prominent than the others. It also has small and inconspicuous stipules.[2] It blooms from Autumn to Spring[1] and produces pleasantly perfumed yellow coloured inflorescences on spikes that are around 5 to 7 cm (2.0 to 2.8 in) and found in groups of two in the leaf axils. After flowering it forms linear, curved or coiled seed pods with a length of around 12 cm (4.7 in) and a width of 0.3 cm (0.12 in). The shiny dark brown to black seeds within the pods are arranged longitudinally and have a length of around 4 mm (0.16 in)[2] with a large yellow-orange aril.[1]

A. leptocarpa resembles Acacia cowleana and Acacia elachantha but has glabrous and thinner phyllodes and longer, more curved pods. It is thought to be allied with Acacia tropica and Acacia cretata. The seed pods appear very similar to those of Acacia gardneri.[3]

Taxonomy

The species was first formally described by the botanist George Bentham in 1842 as part of William Jackson Hooker's work Notes on Mimoseae, with a synopsis of species as published in the London Journal of Botany. It was reclassified as Racosperma leptocarpum by Leslie Pedley in 1987 and transferred back to genus Acacia in 2001.[4] The type specimen was collected by Allan Cunningham around Cape Flinders in Queensland in 1820.[3] The specific epithet is derived from the Greek words leptos meaning slender and carpos meaning fruit in reference to the thin seed pods.[5]

Distribution

It is mostly found in open forest, but will also grow in monsoon forest and rainforest margins. The natural range extends from Carlton Hill Station in the Kimberley region of Western Australia eastwards across the Top End of the Northern Territory to Cape York Peninsula and southwards to Southern Central Queensland where it is found along the margins of watercourses and swampy areas[2] growing in sandy or rocky soils occasionally around laterite as a part of open Eucalyptus or Melaleuca woodland communities.[3]

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See also

References
  1. "North Coast Wattle (Acacia leptocarpa, fam. Mimosaceae)". Central Queensland Landcare Network. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  2. Hyland, B. P. M.; Whiffin, T.; Zich, F. A.; et al. (December 2010). "Factsheet – Acacia leptocarpa". Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants (6.1, online version RFK 6.1 ed.). Cairns, Australia: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), through its Division of Plant Industry; the Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research; the Australian Tropical Herbarium, James Cook University. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
  3. "Acacia leptocarpa". World Wide Wattle. Western Australian Herbarium. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  4. "Acacia leptocarpa A.Cunn. ex Benth". Atlas of Living Australia. Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  5. "Acacia leptocarpa" (PDF). World Agroforestry. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
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