Acacia leiocalyx

Acacia leiocalyx
Near Narrabri
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Caesalpinioideae
Clade: Mimosoid clade
Genus: Acacia
Species:
A. leiocalyx
Binomial name
Acacia leiocalyx
Occurrence data from AVH
Synonyms
  • Acacia glaucescens var. leiocalyx Domin
  • Racosperma leiocalyx (Domin) Pedley
Habit

Acacia leiocalyx, commonly known as blackwattle, early black wattle, early flowering black wattle, lamb's tail wattle or curracabah is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a shrub or tree with fissured, flaky bark, very narrowly elliptic to narrowly elliptic, more or less straight to sickle-shaped phyllodes, spikes of pale yellow, sometimes lemon-yellow flowers and linear, leathery pods slightly constricted between the seeds.

Description

Acacia leiocalyx is a shrub or tree that typically grows to a height of up to 6 m (20 ft) and has fissured, flaky, fibrous grey or brown bark and angular, glabrous reddish branchlets. Its phyllodes are very narrowly elliptic to narrowly elliptic, more or less straight to sickle-shaped, 70–180 mm (2.8–7.1 in) long and 7–35 mm (0.28–1.38 in) wide with three or more prominent main longitudinal veins and a gland near the pulvinus that is 2–4 mm (0.079–0.157 in) long. The flowers are pale yellow, sometimes lemon-yellow and borne in spikes 30–100 mm (1.2–3.9 in) long. Flowering time depends on subspecies, and the pods are linear, leathery, curved, coiled or twisted, 40–150 mm (1.6–5.9 in) long, 2–4 mm (0.079–0.157 in) wide and slightly constricted between the seeds. The seeds are broadly elliptic, 2.5–3.5 mm (0.098–0.138 in) long and black.

Taxonomy

This species was first formally described in 1926 by Karel Domin who gave it the name Acacia glaucescens var. leiocalyx in Bibliotheca Botanica from specimens collected by Amalie Dietrich near Port Mackay. In 1974, Leslie Pedley raised the variety to species status as Acacia leiocalyx in Contributions from the Queensland Herbarium.

The specific epithet (leiocalyx) means 'smooth sepals', referring to the usually glabrous calyx.

In a later edition of Austrobaileya, Pedley described two subspecies of P. leiocalyx, and the names are accepted by the Australian Plant Census:

Distribution and habitat

Uses

The timber is colourful but splits easily even with the end grain sealed.The seeds and gum are apparently edible, but caution should be taken - especially as there are so many difficult to identify similar species.

References

  1. 1 2 "Acacia leiocalyx". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 "Acacia leiocalyx". Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  3. 1 2 Kodela, Phillip G.; Maslin, Bruce R.; Kodela, Phillip G. "Acacia leiocalyx". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Canberra. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 "Acacia leiocalyx". World Wide Wattle. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  5. ↑ "Acacia glaucescens var. leiocalyx". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 26 July 2026.
  6. ↑ Domin, Karel (1926). "Beitrage zur Flora und Pflanzengeographie Australiens". Bibliotheca Botanica. 22 (89): 823. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  7. ↑ "Acacia leiocalyx". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 26 July 2026.
  8. ↑ "Acacia leiocalyx subsp. herveyensis". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  9. ↑ Kodela, Phillip G.; Maslin, Bruce R.; Kodela, Phillip G. "Acacia leiocalyx subsp. herveyensis". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Canberra. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  10. 1 2 "Acacia leiocalyx subsp. herveyensis". Australian Biological Resources Study. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  11. ↑ "Acacia leiocalyx subsp. leiocalyx". Australian Plant Census. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  12. ↑ Kodela, Phillip G.; Maslin, Bruce R.; Kodela, Phillip G. "Acacia leiocalyx subsp. leiocalyx". Flora of Australia. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: Canberra. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  13. 1 2 "Acacia leiocalyx subsp. leiocalyx". Australian Biological Resources Study. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  14. ↑ Acacia leiocalyx (Early flowering wattle). www.ttit.id.au/treepages
  15. ↑ "Acacia leiocalyx: Noosa's Native Plants". Archived from the original on 2011-04-03. Retrieved 2011-04-17.