Acacia duriuscula

Acacia duriuscula
Near Northampton
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Caesalpinioideae
Clade: Mimosoid clade
Genus: Acacia
Species:
A. duriuscula
Binomial name
Acacia duriuscula
Occurrence data from AVH
Synonyms[1]

Racosperma duriusculum (W.Fitzg.) Pedley

Acacia duriuscula is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a shrub or tree with glabrous branchlets, leathery, linear phyllodes, spherical heads of golden yellow flowers, and linear, firmly papery pods slightly curved and slightly raised over the seeds.

Description

Acacia duriuscula is a resinous shrub or tree that typically grows to a height of 0.7–3 m (2 ft 4 in – 9 ft 10 in) and has glabrous branchlets. Its phyllodes are ascending to erect, linear to linear-elliptic, straight to slightly curved, leathery, 15–95 mm (0.59–3.74 in) long and 1–4 mm (0.039–0.157 in) wide with the midrib slightly more evident than the other veins. The flowers are borne in one or two spherical heads in axils, on peduncles 2–5 mm (0.079–0.197 in) long, each head 3.5–4.0 mm (0.14–0.16 in) long with 19 to 26 golden yellow flowers. Flowering occurs from July to October, and the pods are linear, up to 60 mm (2.4 in) long, 3–4 mm (0.12–0.16 in) wide, slightly raised over the seeds, firmly papery and slightly curved. The seeds are oblong, 3.0–3.5 mm (0.12–0.14 in) long, glossy mottled brown to black with an aril on the end.[2][3][4][5]

Taxonomy

Acacia duriuscula was first formally described in 1904 by William Vincent Fitzgerald in the Journal of the West Australian Natural History Society from specimens collected in the Coolgardie district by Edmund Kelso.[6][7] The specific epithet (duriuscula) means 'somewhat hard or harsh'.[8]

Distribution and habitat

This species of wattle grows in sand on plains and near granite outcrops in scattered locations from near Mullewa and Paynes Find to Tammin and Cardunia Rocks east of Coolgardie, and near Bromus south of Norseman, in the Avon Wheatbelt, Coolgardie, Great Victoria Desert, Murchison and Yalgoo bioregions of south-western Western Australia.[2][5]

Conservation status

Acacia duriuscula is listed as "not threatened" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Acacia duriuscula". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
  2. ^ a b Cowan, Richard S.; Maslin, Bruce R. "Acacia duriuscula". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Canberra. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
  3. ^ "Acacia duriuscula". World Wide Wattle. Western Australian Herbarium. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  4. ^ "Acacia duriuscula". Australian Biological Resources Study. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
  5. ^ a b c "Acacia duriuscula". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  6. ^ "Acacia duriuscula". APNI. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
  7. ^ Fitzgerald, William V. (1904). "Additions to the West Australian Flora". Journal of the West Australian Natural History Society. 2 (1): 15. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
  8. ^ George, Alex S.; Sharr, Francis A. (2023). Western Australian Plant Names and Their Meanings - A Glossary (fifth ed.). Kardinya: Four Gables Press. p. 191. ISBN 9780645629538.