Acacia spondylophylla

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 spondylophylla
Name

Acacia spondylophylla F.Muell., 1874
Synonyms

Racosperma spondylophyllum (F.Muell.) Pedley

Distribution
Native distribution areas:
Acacia spondylophylla

Continental: Australasia
Regional: Australia
Northern Territory, Queensland, Western Australia

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

Mueller, F.v. 1872–1874. Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae. Vol. 8. 304 pp. J. Ferres, Melbourne. BHL Reference page. : 8:243.

Links

Govaerts, R. et al. 2020. Acacia spondylophylla 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 15. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2019. Acacia spondylophylla. Published online. Accessed: Aug 15 2019.
Tropicos.org 2019. Acacia spondylophylla. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2019 Aug 15.
Catalogue of Life: 2021 Annual Checklist
Acacia spondylophylla – Taxon details on World Wide Wattle.
USDA, ARS, Germplasm Resources Information Network. Acacia spondylophylla in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service. Accessed: 09-Oct-10.

Vernacular names
English: curry wattle, spine-leaf wattle

Acacia spondylophylla, commonly known as curry wattle[1] or spine-leaf wattle,[2] is a small, flat topped shrub native to central and western Australia. The leaves, which are arranged on spaced whorls around the stem, have a distinctive curry-like smell.[3][4]

Description

The viscid shrub typically grows to a height of 0.3 to 1 m (1 ft 0 in to 3 ft 3 in) but can reach up to 2 m (6 ft 7 in) and has a spreading a flat topped habit.[5] The stems are covered with fine downy hairs and have 1 to 1.5 mm (0.039 to 0.059 in) long stipules. Like most species of Acacia it has phyllodes rather than true leaves. The phyllodes are arranged in whorls of 8 to 14 and are more or less flattened and straight or recurved towards apex. The phyllodes are 6 to 10 mm (0.24 to 0.39 in) in length and less than 1 mm (0.039 in) wide and also covered in fine downy hairs with a single obscure impressed nerve on upper the upper surface.[1] It usually blooms between May and August producing yellow flowers.[5] The spherical flower-heads contain 25 to 40 yellow coloured flowers. After flowering sticky and leathery seed pods form. The linear to curved pods are 20 to 40 mm (0.79 to 1.57 in) in length and 6 to 8 mm (0.24 to 0.31 in) wide and have nerve-like margins and contain transversely arranged seeds with a length of 3.5 to 4 mm (0.14 to 0.16 in).[1]
Distribution

It is found in arid parts of central Australia in Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland. In Western Australia it is found in the Pilbara and northern Goldfields regions where it is usually found along creeks and on rocky hills and gullies growing in stony or sandy soils often around ironstone.[5] It has a disjunct distribution form the Hamersley Range in the Pilabara where it is quite common extending east and becoming scattered from east of the Rawlinson Range in Western Australia. It is then found in the Macdonnell Ranges and Musgrave Ranges in the Northern Territory and then further east to around Dajarra in Queensland.[1]
Taxonomy

The species was first formally described by the botanist Ferdinand von Mueller in 1874 as part of the work Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae.[6] It is commonly mistaken for Acacia perryi which has larger stipules and phyllodes.[2]
Cultivation

The species is naturally found growing in stony and sandy soils, and has been brought into cultivation for arid area gardening.[7][8] The shrub is drought tolerant and regenerates easily from seed.[2]
See also

List of Acacia species

References

"Acacia spondylophylla". WorldWideWattle. Western Australian Herbarium. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
"Acacia spondylophylla F.Muell". Wattle = Acacias of Australia. Lucid Central. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
Moore, P 2005 “A Guide to Plants of Inland Australia” Reed New Holland, Sydney
"Acacia spondylophylla". 27 February 2014.
"Acacia spondylophylla". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
"Acacia spondylophylla F.Muell". Atlas of Living Australia. Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
"Archived copy". Archived from the original on 16 February 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
"Acacia spondylophylla". Alice Springs Town Council. 27 February 2014.