Acacia unguicula

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 unguicula
Name

Acacia unguicula R.S.Cowan & Maslin, 1974
Synonyms

Racosperma unguiculum (R.S.Cowan & Maslin) Pedley

Distribution
Native distribution areas:
Acacia unguicula

Continental: Australasia
Regional: Australia
Western Australia

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

Cowan, R.S. & Maslin, B.R., 1974. Nuytsia; Bulletin of the Western Australian Herbarium. South Perth, W.A. 7(2): 218 (1990).

Links

Govaerts, R. et al. 2020. Acacia unguicula in Kew Science Plants of the World online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published online. Accessed: 2020 Aug 17. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2019. Acacia unguicula. Published online. Accessed: Aug 17 2019.
Tropicos.org 2019. Acacia unguicula. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published online. Accessed: 17 Aug 2019.
Catalogue of Life: 2021 Annual Checklist
Acacia unguicula – Taxon details on World Wide Wattle.

Vernacular names

Acacia unguicula is a shrub of the genus Acacia and the subgenus Plurinerves. It is native to a small area in the Mid West region of Western Australia.[1]

Description

The erect open pungent shrub typically grows to a height of 0.75 to 2 metres (2 to 7 ft) but can be as tall as 3 metres (10 ft) and has smooth grey bark. The phyllodes are rigid and erect, olive green and clustered towards the ends of the branches. They are narrowly oblong to oblanceolate in shape with a pungent smell growing to 40 millimetres (1.6 in) long and 4 millimetres (0.16 in) wide with 14 to 16 prominent nerves. It blooms from August to September and produces yellow flowers. The flower heads are deep golden, globular, and approximately 5 to 6 mm (0.20 to 0.24 in) in diameter found in clusters of 24-34 flowers on stalks 7 to 11 mm (0.28 to 0.43 in) long. Reddish-brown seed pods form later that are linear that become coiled. The pods are generally 60 mm (2.4 in) long with a width of 2 mm (0.08 in).[2]
Distribution

A. unguicula is known from three populations on a pastoral lease at Mount Singleton, approximately 280 kilometres (174 mi) south-east of Geraldton[3] near Yalgoo.[1] It is found on the upper slopes and summit of Mt Singleton among open scrubland, growing in rocky clay, brown clayey sand or brown loamy soils with dolerite.[3]
Classification

The species was originally described by the botanists Richard Sumner Cowan and Bruce Maslin in 1990 as part of the work Acacia Miscellany 3. Some new microneurous taxa of Western Australia related to A. multineata (Leguminosae: Mimosoideae: Section Plurinerves) from Western Australia. published in the journal Nuytsia. Synonyms for the plant include Acacia unguiculata, Racosperma unguiculatum and Racosperma unguiculum as described by Pedley in 2003.[4]
Conservation status

The plant was listed a critically endangered in 2006 under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.[3] The range of A. unguicula is estimated to be less than 1 square kilometre (247 acres) with a total population that is estimated at 43 mature individuals. The small population size is a result of grazing pressure, particularly from goats.[3]
See also

List of Acacia species

References

"Acacia unguicula". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
"Acacia unguicula — a shrub". SPRAT profile. Department of Environment. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
"Approved Conservation Advice for Acacia unguicula" (PDF). Commonwealth of Australia. 2008. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
"Acacia unguicula R.S.Cowan & Maslin". The Atlas of Living Australia. Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 4 April 2017.