Maitland's wattle
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. maitlandii
Binomial name
Acacia maitlandii
Occurrence data from AVH
Synonyms[1]

Acacia maitlandi F.Muell. ex Benth.
Acacia patens F.Muell.
Racosperma maitlandii (F.Muell.) Pedley

Acacia maitlandii flowers and foliage

Acacia maitlandii, also known as Maitland's wattle, is a perennial tree native to Australia.

Description

The shrub has an open and spindly habit, with a height of 0.7 to 3.0 metres (2 to 10 ft).[2] The resinous and glabrous branchlets are generally terete in form. The glabrous phyllodes are straight with a narrowly elliptic shape and are 0.8 to 2.5 centimetres (0.31 to 0.98 in) in length and 1 to 3 millimetres (0.039 to 0.118 in) wide.[3] Flowers are yellow and occur sometime between May and October.[2] The simple inflorescences occur singly in the axil of the phyllodes. The globose flower heads with a diameter of 4 to 5 mm (0.157 to 0.197 in) and contain 35 to 60 bright yellow flowers. Following flowering smooth papery seed pods form. The pods are straight and slightly constricted between seeds with a length of 4 to 5 cm (1.57 to 1.97 in) and 3 to 4 mm (0.118 to 0.157 in) wide.[3]

Taxonomy

The species was first described by Ferdinand von Mueller in 1862 as part of the work Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae.[4] The plant is named for an early European explorer of Australia's Northwest, Maitland Brown, who collected the type specimen.[3] It was later reclassified as Racosperma maitlandii by Leslie Pedley in 1986 but transferred back into the genus Acacia in 2001.[5]

Distribution

Acacia maitlandii is found in all mainland states of Australia, except Victoria,[3] and is not considered to be threatened with extinction.[2] The favoured soil type is red sand, or stony ground; the habitat is sandy or stony plains, and on hills.[2]

Uses

The species is used to make boomerangs and spearthrowers, and the gum produced is edible. The tree is called Garrga in the languages of the Yindjibarndi and Ngarluma people.[6] The seeds have been identified, analysed, and monitored, as a 'wild harvested Australian indigenous food', by Food Standards Australia New Zealand. The product is found to very high in fats, over half by weight.[7]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Acacia maitlandii F.Muell. ( as `Maitlandi' )". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Acacia maitlandii F.Muell". FloraBase. Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  3. 1 2 3 4 P.G. Kodela (2002). "Acacia maitlandii F.Muell". New South Wales flora online. National Herbarium of New South Wales. ...named after Maitland Brown
  4. ↑ Mueller, F.J.H. von (1863), Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae 3(22): 46 Type: "In planitiebus lapidosis ad montes Hammersly Range legit Maitl. Brown sub expeditione Francisci Gregorii."(APNI)
  5. ↑ "Acacia maitlandii F.Muell. Maitland's Wattle". World Wide Wattle. Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  6. ↑ Burndud (1990). Wanggalili; Yinjibarndi and Ngarluma Plants. Juluwarlu Aboriginal Corporation. p. 17.
  7. ↑ "Acacia Maitlandii, Seed". NUTTAB 2006 Online Version. Food Standards Australia New Zealand. 2007-04-26. Archived from the original on 2008-07-30. Food ID: 15A10116

Data related to Acacia maitlandii at Wikispecies

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