Acacia acrionastes

Acacia acrionastes is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a spindly, glabrous shrub or tree with linear phyllodes, flowers arranged in a racemes with 10 to 15 spherical heads of flowers, each with 12 to 16 creamy yellow flowers, and leathery pods up to long.

Description

Acacia acrionastes is a spindly, glabrous shrub or tree that typically grows to a height of. It has linear phyllodes that are long and wide and often narrower towards the tip. The flowers are arranged in a raceme long with 10 to 16 heads on a peduncle long, each head with 12 to 16 creamy yellow flowers. Flowering mainly occurs between July and August and the fruit is a leathery pod up to long and wide, containing up to nine seeds with a shiny black, club-shaped aril.

Taxonomy

The species was first formally described by the botanist Leslie Pedley in 1990 in the journal Austrobaileya from specimens collected on the lower slopes of Mount Maroon in 1986. The specific epithet means "hilltop-occupant".

Distribution and habitat

Acacia acrionastes grows in shallow, rocky soils and among rocks on mountain peaks and is found in north western New South Wales where it is considered rare and Queensland where it is more common.

Conservation Status

Acacia acrionastes is listed as "near threatened" under the Queensland Nature Conservation Act 1992. It is not listed under the Australian Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.