Acacia pulchella

Acacia pulchella, commonly known as prickly moses, is a shrub in the family Fabaceae. Endemic to Western Australia, it is one of the most common shrubs of the bushland around Perth and in the Darling Range.

Prickly Moses
A. pulchella
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Clade: Mimosoideae
Genus: Acacia
Species:
A. pulchella
Binomial name
Acacia pulchella
Occurrence data from AVH

Prickly moses is one of only a small number of Acacia species to have true leaves, rather than phyllodes. It has feathery, bipinnate leaves with leaflets up to 5 mm long. At the base of each leaf is one or two spines. The flower heads are bright yellow and spherical, with a diameter of up to 1 cm. It flowers in late winter and early spring.

The name "prickly moses" is said to be a corruption of "prickly mimosa".

Recent research suggests that A. pulchella may in some circumstances suppress the plant pathogen Phytophthora cinnamomi.[1]

There are four recognised varieties:

  • A. p. var. glaberrima
  • A. p. var. goadbyi
  • A. p. var. pulchella
  • A. p. var. reflexa

Uses

This prickly shrub is useful as a screen to inhibit animal and human access to areas.[2]

See also

References
  1. Arunodini Jayasekera, Interactions between Phytophthora cinnamomi and Acacia pulchella: consequences on ecology and epidemiology of the pathogen, Murdoch University, Western Australia, PhD thesis 2006
  2. "York gum species list". Toodyay Land Conservation District Committee. Archived from the original on 2014-01-25.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.