Acacias (wattles) are widespread in Australia. Most acacias, and all in the Westonia Town Common, have distinctive yellow flower heads. The flower heads are usually globular or rod-shaped. Each head is made up of many tiny flowers. The leaves are flattened stalks called phyllodes. Acacias come in many forms from low shrubs to trees. The shrubs are often spiny. The word 'acacia' originates from the Latin word for a pointed instrument: acis.
Pea flowers have a distinctive shape. Typically, there are 5 differently shaped petals. The standard is at the back, two wings oriented forwards, and below them a tube-shaped keel which contains the stamens.
Wattles and Peas all the belong to same plant family: FABACEAE. All the species have seed pods with the seeds attached along one side (like garden peas) The pods can vary a lot in shape and also can be straight or twisted.
FABACEAE Acacia acanthoclada subsp. acanthocladaHARROW WATTLE. Acacia acanthoclada subsp. acanthoclada is a rigid shrub with long spines and plentiful distinctive shorter phyllodes. The phyllodes look as if they have been cut across the end at an angle. The species has a scattered inland distribution in southern Western Australia and is most common in the southern wheatbelt. It also occurs in South Australia, New South Wales and northern Victoria.
FABACEAE Acacia acanthocladaHARROW WATTLE. Acacia acanthoclada shrub in full flower. This road verge plant was about 0.5 m high.
FABACEAE Acacia acuminataJAM. Acacia acuminata.
FABACEAE Acacia acuminata 22 Aug 24JAM. Acacia acuminata is widespread and common in southern Western Australia.
FABACEAE Acacia acuminataJAM. Acacia acuminata can be a shrub or a small tree to 12 m high.
FABACEAE Acacia aestivalisAcacia aestivalis. The phyllodes are usually straight and angled upwards. The flowers have a pleasant fragrance. This species often grows as a thicket as in this photo. These plants are on a road verge and are about 3-4 m high.
FABACEAE Acacia aestivalisAcacia aestivalis is a Western Australian endemic species. It occurs in the wheatbelt, mostly within a triangle bounded by Mullewa (N), Corrigin (S) and Bullfinch (E).
FABACEAE Acacia aestivalis podAcacia aestivalis seed pods are dark brown and are often longer than this.
FABACEAE Acacia ancistrophylla var. ancistrophyllaAcacia ancistrophylla var. ancistrophylla showing the thick sharply pointed phyllodes. The name is a version of the Greek for fish-hook leaf.
FABACEAE Acacia ancistrophyllaAcacia ancistrophylla var. ancistrophylla shrub in full flower.
FABACEAE Acacia ancistrophylla var. ancistrophyllaAcacia ancistrophylla var. ancistrophylla is a dense spreading shrub to 2.5 m high. Most of its range is in the eastern Wheatbelt and the Goldfields.
FABACEAE Acacia assimilis subsp. assimilisAcacia assimilis subsp. assimilis is a dense rounded shrub up to 3 m or a tree up to 4 m.
FABACEAE Acacia assimilis subsp. assimilisAcacia assimilis subsp. assimilis has a distinctive grey, hairy and curved tip to each phyllode.
FABACEAE Acacia assimilis subsp. assimilis shrubAcacia assimilis subsp. assimilis occurs over most of the grain-growing area of Western Australia.
FABACEAE Acacia colletioidesWAIT-A-WHILE. Acacia colletioides is an extremely prickly shrub up to 4 m high. The phyllodes are on a small yellow projection from the stem and there are two flower heads from each phyllode base.