Acacia crassiuscula


Acacia crassiuscula is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is an erect, often spindly or straggly shrub with linear, somewhat rigid phyllodes, spherical heads of cream-coloured flowers and linear, thinly leathery pods.

Description

Acacia crassiuscula is an erect, often spindly shrub that typically grows to a height of and has glabrous branchlets. Its phyllodes are ascending to erect, linear, straight to slightly curved, long and wide, somewhat rigid, dark green, glabrous and more or less sharply pointed. The midrib of the phyllode is rather prominent, and there is a gland from the base of the phyllode. The flowers are borne in three to eight spherical heads in racemes long. The heads are on a pedicel long, each head long with 13 to 20 cream-coloured flowers. Flowering occurs from about May to October, and the pods are linear, thinly leathery and glabrous, up to long and wide and shallowly constricted between the seeds. The seeds are oblong to elliptic, long, semi glossy and black with a thick aril on the end.

Taxonomy

Acacia crassiuscula was first formally described in 1820 by Heinrich Wendland in his Commentatio de Acaciis aphyllis. The specific epithet means 'rather thick'.
Acacia crassiuscula resembles A. cupularis and A. harveyi. The phyllodes have the same shape and size as those of A. euthyphylla.

Distribution and habitat

This species of wattle is native to an area along the south coast of Western Australia between Albany and Cape Arid National Park with two disjunct populations north and north-west of Walpole. It grows in sand in scrub mallee and heath in the Esperance Plains, Jarrah Forest and Warren bioregions of Western Australia.

Conservation status

Acacia crassiuscula is listed as "not threatened" by the Government of Western Australia Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.