Species of legume
Acacia chrysotricha, commonly known as the Newry golden wattle or the Bellinger River wattle,[1] is a species of Acacia native to eastern Australia.[2] The species was listed as endangered in 2012 with the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.
Description
The tree typically grows to a height of 6 to 21 metres (20 to 69 ft) and has fissured grey to red-brown bark. It inconspicuously ridged branchlets that have a surface densely covered with spreading golden, grey or fawn coloured hairs. The tips of immature foliage is villous and a deep golden colour. The leaves are a dark green colour but lighter underneath. They are composed of 12 to 20 pairs of pinnae along rachis that are 8 to 14 cm (3.1 to 5.5 in) in length.[2] It flowers between July and August producing golden coloured flowers. The simple inflorescences are situated in axillary racemes. The spherical flower-heads contain 15 to 30 loosely packed golden flower. The thinly coriaceous dark brown to black seed pods that form after flowering in about November are 3 to 10 cm (1.2 to 3.9 in) in length and 4 to 6 mm (0.16 to 0.24 in) wide with whitish to brown hairs that have a length of around 2 mm (0.079 in).[2] The tree is reasonably short lived and requires fire to stimulate germination.[1]
Distribution
In is endemic to a small area in the north eastern corner of New South Wales within the Brierfield- Newry State Forest region where it is often situated in steep narrow gullies growing in quartzite based soils as a part of tall open forest communities or in rainforest communities as a component of the understory.[2] It is known from two locations within the Jaaningga Nature Reserve where 1,200 individuals are known and two much smaller populations of around 30 individuals near the Gladstone State Forest over a total area of approximately 25 km2 (9.7 sq mi).[1]
See also
References
