Acacia arafurica

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Cladus: Rosids
Cladus: Eurosids I
Ordo: Fabales

Familia: Fabaceae
Subfamilia: Caesalpinioideae
Tribus: Acacieae
Genus: Acacia
Species: Acacia arafurica
Name

Acacia arafurica Tindale & Kodela, Telopea 5(1) 53. 1992
Synonyms

Racosperma arafuricum (Tindale & Kodela) Pedley

Distribution
Native distribution areas:
Acacia arafurica

Continental: Australasia
Regional: Australia
Northern Territory

References: Brummitt, R.K. 2001. TDWG – World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, 2nd Edition
References
Primary references

Tindale, M.D. & Kodela, P.G. 1992. New species of Acacia (Fabaceae : Mimosoideae) from tropical Australia. Telopea 5(1) 53–66. DOI: 10.7751/telopea19924961Reference page. (see page 53)

Links

Govaerts, R. et al. 2020. Acacia arafurica in Kew Science Plants of the World online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2020 Jul 25. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2019. Acacia arafurica. Published online. Accessed: Jul 25 2019.
Tropicos.org 2019. Acacia arafurica. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2019 Jul 25.
Hassler, M. Jul. Acacia arafurica. World Plants: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World In: Roskovh, Y., Abucay, L., Orrell, T., Nicolson, D., Bailly, N., Kirk, P., Bourgoin, T., DeWalt, R.E., Decock, W., De Wever, A., Nieukerken, E. van, Zarucchi, J. & Penev, L., eds. Jul. Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life. Published on the internet. Accessed: Jul 25 {{{3}}}. Reference page.

Vernacular names

Acacia arafurica is a shrub belonging to the subgenus Phyllodineae of the genus Acacia in the family Fabaceae. It is endemic to the Northern Territory, Australia.[3]

Description

Acacia arafurica is a shrub or tree growing up to 4 m high, with terete branchlets, which are sparsely to densely pubescent. The phyllodes are asymmetrically ovate to rhomboidal.[3] It blooms between April and July producing flower-spikes that occur singly or in pairs. The spikes are 10 to 21 mm (0.39 to 0.83 in) and 4 to 5.5 mm (0.16 to 0.22 in) wide packed with golden coloured flowers. After flowering linear, straight seed pods form that resemble a string of beads. The chartaceous, pubescent pods dry to a brown colour and are 6.5 to 10.5 cm (2.6 to 4.1 in) in length. The brown seeds found within the pods are arranged longitudinally and have a length of 5 to 7 mm (0.20 to 0.28 in).[3]

Acacia arafurica is distinguished from A. sublanata by its thicker and larger phyllodes, its longer peduncles, and its inflorescences arranged in the form of a spike (spicate).[3]
Taxonomy

The species was first formally described by the botanists Mary Tindale and Phillip Kodela in 1992 as part of the work New species of Acacia (Fabaceae, Mimosoideae) from tropical Australia as published in the journal Telpoea. It was reclassified as Racosperma arafuricum by Leslie Pedley in 2003 and transferred back to genus Acacia in 2006.[4]
Distribution and habitat

It is found from the northern part of Arnhem Land to the Cobourg Peninsula in the Northern Territory, growing in sand in swampy areas on coastal river flats or near streams in the gorge country, or sometimes in open forest.[3][2]
Etymology

The specific epithet, arafurica, refers to the Arafura Sea which lies to the north of where A. arafurica is found.[2]
See also

List of Acacia species

References

"Acacia arafurica". Australian Plant Name Index, IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government.
Tindale, Mary & Kodela, Phillip (1992). "New species of Acacia (Fabaceae, Mimosoideae) from tropical Australia". Telopea. 5 (1): 53–66. doi:10.7751/telopea19924961. (A. arafurica: p. 53, Fig. 1,2)
"Acacia arafurica". Flora of Australia Online. Department of the Environment and Heritage, Australian Government.
"Acacia arafurica Tindale & Kodela". Atlas of Living Australia. Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 18 August 2019.