Acacia latescens

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 latescens
Name

Acacia latescens Benth., 1842
Synonyms

Acacia dissoneura F.Muell.
Acacia latescens var. grandifolia F.Muell.
Racosperma latescens (Benth.) Pedley

Distribution
Native distribution areas:
Acacia latescens

Continental: Australasia
Regional: Australia
Northern Territory

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

Bentham, G., 1842. London Journal of Botany. London 1:380.

Links

Govaerts, R. et al. 2020. Acacia latescens in Kew Science Plants of the World online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published online. Accessed: 2020 Aug 06. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2019. Acacia latescens. Published online. Accessed: Aug 06 2019.
Tropicos.org 2019. Acacia latescens. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published online. Accessed: 06 Aug 2019.
Hassler, M. Aug. Acacia latescens. 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. Aug. Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life. Published online. Accessed: Aug 06 {{{3}}}. Reference page.
USDA, ARS, Germplasm Resources Information Network. Acacia latescens in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service. Accessed: 09-Oct-10.

Vernacular names
English: Ball Wattle

Acacia latescens, also known as Ball wattle,[5] is a tree in the genus Acacia (in the family Fabaceae and the subgenus Plurinerves).[6][7] It is native to the Northern Territory where it is common in the Top End.[1]

Description

A. latescens is a tree growing from 4 to 9 m high. Its bark is brown and fissured. The smooth branchlets are ribbed, and its stipules fall. The pulvinus is 3-5 mm long and smooth. The smooth phyllodes are curved, and are 80-260 mm long by 4-18 mm wide. They have two primary veins (sometimes 1 or 3) and the secondary may be oblique, veined like a feather or forming a network. The base of the phyllode narrows gradually but the apex is acute. There are three glands along the dorsal margin and at the pulvinus. The axilliary inflorescences are racemes or panicles, with 4-11 heads per raceme. The white/cream heads are globular, and 4-6 mm wide on smooth peduncles which are 5-16 mm long. The greyish pods (50-210 mm long by 11-20 mm wide) are straight, and raised over the seeds with a slightly thickened margin. The dark brown to black seeds (9-10 mm long by 5-7 mm wide) are oblique in the pod.[1]

It flowers from April to July and fruits from August to January.[1]
Distribution

It is found in the following bioregions of the Northern Territory: Arnhem Coast, Arnhem Plateau, Central Arnhem, Daly Basin, Darwin Coastal, Gulf Fall and Uplands, Pine Creek, Sturt Plateau, Tiwi Cobourg, and Victoria Bonaparte.[1]
Habitat

It grows in eucalypt woodland.[1]
Taxonomy

It was first described by George Bentham in 1842, from a specimen collected by Allan Cunningham on May-Day Island in van Diemen's Gulf,[2][3] in 1818 on the first voyage of the Mermaid (Isolectotype BM000796904).[8]
References

"NT Flora factsheet: Acacia latescens". eflora.nt.gov.au. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
"Acacia latescens". Australian Plant Name Index, IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government.
Bentham, G. (1842). "Notes on Mimoseae, with a synopsis of species". In Hooker, W.J. (ed.). London Journal of Botany. Vol. 1. H. Baillière. p. 380.
"Acacia latescens Benth". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
Cowan, R.S. (2019). "Acacia latescens Benth". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of the Environment and Energy, Canberra. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
Stirton, C.; Maslin, B. (1998). "Generic and infrageneric classification in Acacia". Bulletin of the Mimosoidae Working Group. 20.
"Species Introduction: Acacia latescens". worldwidewattle.com. Archived from the original on 22 July 2005. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
"Isolectotype of Acacia latescens Benth. [family LEGUMINOSAE] on JSTOR". plants.jstor.org.