About Acacia hispidula (Sm.) Willd.
Scientific Name
Acacia hispidula (Sm.) Willd.
Description
Growth Habit
This shrub typically grows to a height of 2 m (6 ft 7 in), and has a spreading, open growth habit.
Branchlet Features
Its branchlets are scabrous, tuberculate, and covered with minute hairs.
Phyllode Characteristics
It bears evergreen phyllodes that are asymmetric, narrowly oblong-elliptic in shape, and often shallowly incurved. The phyllodes range from sub-glabrous to glabrous, measure 10 to 30 mm (0.39 to 1.18 in) in length and 3 to 10 mm (0.12 to 0.39 in) in width, and have a prominent midrib.
Flowering Traits
Flowering occurs between January and April; simple inflorescences grow singly in the axils, and bear spherical flower-heads that contain 10 to 20 pale yellow to almost white flowers.
Seed Pod Features
After flowering, it produces glabrous blackish seed pods. The pods are oblong to narrowly oblong in shape, but may be elliptic when they contain only a single seed. Pods can reach up to 4.5 cm (1.8 in) in length, and 7.5 to 10.5 mm (0.30 to 0.41 in) in width, with a thickly coriaceous to subwoody texture.
Seed Characteristics
The turgid oblong seeds measure 7.5 to 8.5 mm (0.30 to 0.33 in) in length and 4.5 mm (0.18 in) in width.
Distribution
Geographic Range
This species has a disjunct distribution. It occurs around the Sydney area in New South Wales, and in a further northern range extending from Coffs Harbour inland to Torrington (near the Queensland border), continuing north as far as Crows Nest and Brisbane.
Habitat
It grows as part of Eucalyptus woodland communities, in shallow soils over granite and sandstone.
