Acacia latzii

Acacia latzii, also known as Latz's wattle and Tjilpi wattle,[4] is a shrubby tree[3] of the genus Acacia (in the family Fabaceae and the subgenus Plurinerves).[5] It is native to the Finke bioregion (in the south of the Northern Territory and the north of South Australia).[1]

Acacia latzii
VU (TPWCA)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Clade: Mimosoideae
Genus: Acacia
Species:
A. latzii
Binomial name
Acacia latzii
Occurrence data from AVH

Description

A. latzii is a shrub or tree which grows to a height of 3 to 7 m (9.8 to 23.0 ft). The branchlets may be smooth or have a sparse covering of minute flat lying hairs. The phyllodes (5 to 10 cm (2.0 to 3.9 in) long by 2 to 4 mm (0.079 to 0.157 in) wide) are narrowly linear and generally with a shallow incurving. They are leathery and a khaki to greyish green and like the branchlets may be smooth or have a sparse covering of fine hairs. They have many closely parallel veins. The inflorescences are two to five headed racemes with the raceme axes being 1.5 to 5 mm (0.059 to 0.197 in) long. The flower stalks are 5–9 mm long and have a covering of fine hairs. The heads are globular (4 mm (0.16 in) in diameter) with 13 to 18 flowers. The flowers are 5-merous and the sepals are free. The smooth, leathery pods are up to 15 cm (5.9 in) long. The dull, brown-black, oblong seeds are 5.5 mm (0.22 in) in length.[4] It flowers from April to August and fruits from February to November.[1]

Habitat

It is found growing in skeletal alkaline soil in gullies and on minor hill slopes.[4][6]

Conservation status

It has been declared "vulnerable" under both Commonwealth and Northern Territory legislation.[1][7] It is threatened by

  • increased fire exposure associated with Buffel Grass invasion;
  • seedling loss from browsing and trampling by cattle and feral herbivores;
  • vulnerable to decline due its small population and its fragmented distribution;
  • altered rainfall patterns (due to climate change) which may affect adult survivorship and decrease the rare recruitment events.[6]

Taxonomy

It was first described by Bruce Maslin in 1980[2] and named A. latzii to honour Peter Latz whose "fine" collections were the basis of Maslin's descriptions.[3] An isotype, CANB 267113.1, was collected by Latz in the Beddome Range, New Crown Station, on 21 April 1977[8]

References
  1. "NT Flora factsheet: Acacia latzii". eflora.nt.gov.au. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  2. "Acacia latzii". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government.
  3. Maslin, B.R. (1980). "Acacia (Leguminosae-Mimosoideae): A contribution to the flora of central Australia". Journal of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens. 2 (4): 313, fig. 5,8 (map). JSTOR 23872363.
  4. Cowan, R.S.; Maslin, B.R. (2019). "Acacia latzii. In: Flora of Australia". profiles.ala.org.au. Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of the Environment and Energy, Canberra. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  5. Stirton, C.; Maslin, B. (1998). "Generic and infrageneric classification in Acacia". Bulletin of the Mimosoidae Working Group. 20.
  6. Nano, C.; Kerrigan, R.; Albrecht, D.; Pavey, C. (2012). "Threatened Species of the Northern Territory: Acacia latzii Maslin" (PDF).
  7. Department of the Environment. "Acacia latzii — Latz's Wattle". www.environment.gov.au. Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  8. "Occurrence record: CANB 267113.1".
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