''Acacia rigens'', commonly known as nealie, is an erect or spreading shrub or small tree that is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...
to
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
.
Other common names include needle wattle, needlebush acacia, nealia and nilyah.
[
]
Description
Plants typically grows to a height of and have rigid, terete phyllode
Phyllodes are modified petiole (botany), petioles or leaf stems, which are leaf-like in appearance and function. In some plants, these become flattened and widened, while the leaf itself becomes reduced or vanishes altogether. Thus the phyllode co ...
s that are between in length. The bright yellow flowerheads appear in groups of up to four in the axils of the phyllodes. The simple inflorescence
In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...
s have resinous and spherical flower-heads with a diameter of and contain 20 to 30 bright yellow coloured, 5-merous flowers that appear between July and December in the species' native range, followed by curled, twisted or coiled seed pods which are long and wide.[
]
Taxonomy
The species was first formally described in 1832 by botanist Allan Cunningham.[ It resembles '' Acacia havilandiorum'' but has longer phyllodes and 4-merous flowers. The ]specific epithet
In Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin gramm ...
is thought to be a reference to the rigidity of the phyllodes.[
]
Distribution
The species occurs on red earth, sandy or shaly soils in mallee and woodland in southern Western Australia
Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...
, South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...
, Victoria, New South Wales
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
and Queensland
Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
.
Cultivation
The species is fast-growing and is both frost and drought tolerant, rarely requiring watering after establishment. It is adaptable to most soils and is best suited to a position in full sun or light shade.[
]
See also
* List of ''Acacia'' species
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q4671001
rigens
Flora of New South Wales
Flora of Queensland
Flora of South Australia
Flora of Victoria (state)
Acacias of Western Australia
Fabales of Australia
Plants described in 1832
Taxa named by Allan Cunningham (botanist)
Endemic flora of Australia