Acacia pygmaea

center|100x100px	This species is classified RARE. DO NOT harvest this species!

General Plant Info

Acacia pygmaea, previously knows as Acacia sp. Wongan Hills, known as "Dwarf Rock Wattle", is an erect single stemmed shrub, 0.3-0.7 m high, with cream-white globular flower heads that change to orange with ageing.

The species produces relatively few fruits and each pod contains 2–3 seeds. Most acacias fruit and shed their seed a short time after flowering, but the pods of this species take a year to mature. Flower buds and unopened pods may be found on the plant simultaneously (Holland et al., 1997).

Listed as Endangered (Wildlife Conservation Act 1950 (Western Australia): September 2013) as Acacia pygmaea

Geographic distribution

Known only from the Wongan Hills area, 200 km NE of Perth, in SW WA (Maslin 1995a; Holland et al. 1997; Brown et al. 1998). It is found on three adjacent ridges (Orchard & Wilson 2001) around Mt Matilda and Mt O'Brien, representing a geographic range of 8 km (Holland et al. 1997; Brown et al. 1998).

Only a few populations are known despite numerous searches and an abundance of suitable habitat. It occurs in Mt Matilda NR, Rogers NR and on private property

Beard’s Provinces: South-West Province.

IBRA Regions: Avon Wheatbelt.

IBRA Subregions: Avon Wheatbelt P2.

Local Government Areas (LGAs): Wongan-Ballidu

Identification

Dwarf, glabrous subshrub 0.3–0.5 m high. Branchlets prominently ribbed. Stipules shallowly triangular, c. 0.5 mm long.

Phyllodes crowded, erect, elliptic to obovate, 20–30 mm long, 9–13 mm wide, obtuse, thin, green, 1-nerved or imperfectly 2-nerved; lateral nerves few and obscure; gland not prominent, 4–7 mm above base.

Inflorescences simple, mostly 1 per axil; peduncles 4–7 mm long; heads globular, 3- or 4-flowered, white, drying orange; buds 4-angled. Flowers 4-merous, large; sepals 1/5 length of corolla, united into a truncate to sinuolately lobed calyx.

Pods retrorse by a strongly recurved stipe, narrowly oblong, acute, to 30 mm long, 3–4 mm wide, crustaceous; margins thick.

Seeds longitudinal, oblong to elliptic, 4–5 mm long, shiny, dark brown, arillate. Seed has been collected in late October (Maslin, 1995).

Links

http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon_id=56768

http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/species/pubs/56768-conservation-advice.pdf

http://www.worldwidewattle.com/speciesgallery/pygmaea.php

http://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/browse/profile/13611