Acacia sessilispica

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Acacia sessilispica

Acacia sessilispica is a shrub or small tree in the legume family, native to Western Australia. It belongs to the genus Acacia, subgenus Juliflorae.

Description
The plant typically reaches 0.8–3 meters in height. It has slightly angular, hairless branchlets and pungent green phyllodes that are upright or slightly incurved, about 5–11.5 cm long and 1–1.3 mm thick, with eight parallel nerves. It blooms from August to September, producing yellow flowers in sessile spikes (about 10–28 mm long). Later, it forms linear seed pods around 7 cm long and 3–4.5 mm wide, containing glossy black seeds about 3–4 mm long.

Taxonomy
Acacia sessilispica was first described by Joseph Maiden and William Blakely in 1928. It was reclassified as Racosperma sessilispicum in 2003 by Leslie Pedley and returned to Acacia in 2006. Other historical names include Acacia multispicata and Acacia aciphylla var. leptostachys.

Distribution
This species is native to a broad area of southern Western Australia, notably the Wheatbelt and Great Southern regions. It grows on granite outcrops and hills, from Ballidu in the north to Ravensthorpe in the southeast, in granitic loam and sandy soils. It is commonly found in shrubland and mallee communities.

See also
List of Acacia species