Acacia arcuatilis

Acacia arcuatilis is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a rounded, spreading shrub with curved phyllodes, racemes of usually two spherical heads of yellow flowers in axils, and linear pods up to long.

Description

Acacia arcuatilis is a low, rounded, spreading shrub that typically grows to a height of. Its branchlets are covered with silky hairs. Its phyllodes are curved, sometimes in a complete circle, mostly long and in diameter. The phyllodes are grey-green to almost glaucous with eight broad, flat-topped veins with hairs in the narrow furrows between the veins.
The species flowers from June to August producing spherical yellow flowers in usually two spherical, sessile heads in diameter, each head with 10 to 22 golden flowers in each axil. Following flowering, thinly crust-like, linear pods up to long and wide, slightly raised over and constricted between each of the seeds. The seeds are arranged longitudinally, elliptic, long, glossy and mottled with a conical aril about as long as the seed.

Taxonomy

Acacia arcuatilis was first formally described in 1999 by Richard Cowan and Bruce Maslin in the journal Nuytsia from specimens collected south of Kulin in 1973. The specific epithet means 'curved like a bow', referring to the phyllodes.

Distribution and habitat

This species of wattle grows in mallee, open scrub and heath on undulating plains or rises from near Bindi Bindi to Ongerup and near Hyden in the Avon Wheatbelt, Esperance Plains and Mallee bioregions of south-western Western Australia.

Conservation status

Acacia arcuatilis is listed as "Priority Two" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, meaning that it is poorly known and from one or a few locations.