Acacia littorea

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 littorea
Name

Acacia littorea Maslin, 1978
Synonyms

Acacia decipiens var. major Diels
Acacia decipiens var. multiflora Ser.
Acacia decipiens var. praemorsa Graham
Acacia decipiens var. trapezoidea DC.
Acacia decipiens var. triangularis Ser.
Acacia dolabriformis Colla
Racosperma littoreum (Maslin) Pedley

Distribution
Native distribution areas:
Acacia littorea

Continental: Australasia
Regional: Australia
Western Australia

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

Maslin, B.R., 1978. Nuytsia; Bulletin of the Western Australian Herbarium. South Perth, W.A. 2:311.

Links

Govaerts, R. et al. 2020. Acacia littorea in Kew Science Plants of the World online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2020 Aug 07. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2019. Acacia littorea. Published online. Accessed: Aug 07 2019.
Tropicos.org 2019. Acacia littorea. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2019 Aug 07.
Hassler, M. Aug. Acacia littorea. 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 on the internet. Accessed: Aug 07 {{{3}}}. Reference page.
USDA, ARS, Germplasm Resources Information Network. Acacia littorea in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service. Accessed: 09-Oct-10.

Vernacular names
English: shark tooth wattle

Acacia littorea, also known as the shark tooth wattle,[1][2][3] is a shrub belonging to the genus Acacia and the subgenus Phyllodineae.

Description

The dense pungent shrub typically grows to a height of 0.5 to 3.0 metres (1.6 to 9.8 ft) and produces yellow flowers from August to November.[4] It has glabrous but prominently ribbed branchlets. The green, pungent and somewhat crowded phyllodes are ascending on the branchlets. They have an interesting obtriangular to obdeltate shape resembling a sharks tooth. The phyllodes are 7 to 17 millimetres (0.28 to 0.67 in) long and 5 to 15 mm (0.20 to 0.59 in) and sometimes larger. The simple inflorescences have globular heads containing 8 to 15 pale-yellow flowers. After flowering blackish to yellowish linear to curved seed pods that are around 6 centimetres (2.4 in) in length with a width of 2.5 to 3 mm (0.10 to 0.12 in). The pods contain shiny brown oblong seeds arranged longitudinally which are 2.5 to 3 mm (0.10 to 0.12 in) long.[5]
Taxonomy

The species was first formally described by the botanist Bruce Maslin in 1978 as part of the work Studies in the genus Acacia (Mimosaceae) – 8 A revision of the Uninerves – Triangulares, in part (the tetramerous species) published in the journal Nuytsia.[6]

The type specimen was collected by Bruce Maslin along the shoreline of Princess Royal Harbour near Albany in 1975.[5]

Several synonyms exist: Acacia dolabriformis, Acacia trapezoides, Acacia cuneata var. glabra, Acacia decipiens var. triangularis, Mimosa decipiens and Acacia praemorsa.[6]

The species is closely related to Acacia truncata.[5]
Distribution

It is native to an area in the South West, Great Southern and Peel regions of Western Australia.[4] The bulk of the population is found from Busselton east to Bremer Bay. An isolated population id found on Rottnest Island.[5] A. littorea grows mostly on coastal dunes in deep sandy soils and in limestone area.[4] It is commonly found in heath land communities and can be a dominant species.[5]
Cultivation

A. littorea is commercially available in seed form[7] or as tubestock.[8] It prefers a sunny position and well-drained soils and suits a coastal garden. The species is drought- and frost-tolerant. It is fast-growing but short-lived and suitable for erosion control or as a windbreak.[1]
See also

List of Acacia species

References

"Acacia littorea – Wattle". Gardening with Angus. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
Peter Llewellyn (2018). "Acacia littorea Shark's-tooth Wattle". UK Wildflowers. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
"Survey for the Western Ringtail Possum Pseudocheirus occidentalis within part of Lots 3000 and 1523, Emu Point Drive, Albany, Western Australia" (PDF). Green Iguana. August 2007. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
"Acacia littorea". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
"Acacia littorea". World Wide Wattle. Western Australian Herbarium. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
"Acacia littorea Maslin". Atlas of Living Australia. Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
"Acacia littorea". Australian Seed. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
"Acacia littoera". The Tube Nursery. Retrieved 23 August 2018.